


Home is Not a Place

by RavenWings



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: "Canon" Divergence starting after the Election, Angst, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, DreamSMP Election, Eret and Niki are fantastic and I love them, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I hurt Tubbo and I'm sorry, Philza Minecraft is here and he is ready to be the Adult, SMP Election, TommyInnit and Tubbo might as well be, Tubbo and Tommy are best friends and that is all, do i know how to tag? no, do not ship them for the love of all that is holy, family dynamics supremacy, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26681575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenWings/pseuds/RavenWings
Summary: Tubbo thought he was doing well at this whole “spy” thing. Sure, he was stressed and exhausted more often than not, but things were looking up for their side, and that made it all worth it. So long as Schlatt didn’t catch wind of their plans, they could do this - they could win back their home, together.Unfortunately, Schlatt was smart. Unfortunately, he got caught.All Tubbo wanted was to go home.----------------------------------Or, a post-election story that explores an alternate timeline, in which Tubbo is exposed a lot sooner, Schlatt has more than a few tricks up his sleeve, and no matter how bad things get, they’re still a family.
Relationships: I could use all of the family tags but that would make this tag list so incredibly long, We're all family here
Comments: 65
Kudos: 587





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that while Schlatt makes a fantastic villain, he's a great guy irl and it's all just for fun.
> 
> Also, I wrote this in a manic rush over the past couple of days when I should really be working on a research paper, so I apologize for any typos or mistakes.

They always met after sunset. 

It was the safest option; the mobs weren’t quite in full force yet with the sunlight still hanging in the air, but the rest of the world was winding down and the growing shadows gave Tubbo ample cover to slip away and met them at the tree line. 

Usually it was Wilbur who met with him. Tubbo was always glad to see the older man, who had become more his brother than his leader over time, and he could always spot the glint of fondness in Will’s eyes when they were able to see each other face-to-face. More than anything, Tubbo was glad he hadn’t lost that when he had initially stayed behind (no matter how much he had wanted to follow, no matter how much he had tried to find them and _run_ ), and he was grateful that Will still trusted him. 

That night, though, Tubbo had been delighted to find Tommy waiting in the clearing they had arranged to meet in. He’d greeted the taller boy with a hug, disregarding the danger and importance of their meeting for just a moment and focusing instead on just how happy he was to steal a few minutes with his best friend. As much as Tommy had grumbled under his breath about him being “clingy”, he had hugged Tubbo back even tighter (Tubbo had to resist the urge to wince, because he _really_ didn’t want him to find out about the bruises hiding under his sleeves) and was slow to let go. 

They both missed each other a lot. It was hard, going from spending almost every waking moment together to only being able to meet in secret for short periods of time. Tubbo wasn’t able to visit Pogtopia anymore, either, as Schlatt had grown more and more paranoid and it became too risky.

“How’s everything going over there?” Tommy had asked after he finally pulled away. The blond cast a short glance over Tubbo’s shoulder toward the lights in the distance. There was a homesick longing in his eyes, the same that pricked sharp in Tubbo’s own heart every time he had to watch another piece of their nation be erased. 

“It’s…interesting.” Tubbo kept things as brief as possible while still getting all the important information out. There was a lot happening all the time, as Schlatt was constantly changing his mind and finding new things to tear apart or ruin. The atmosphere had changed completely, and everything was always tense and almost toxic, like the horned man’s very presence was poisoning the air around them. 

Tubbo skimmed over some of his interactions with the president, especially those that had ended with hand-shaped bruises pressed into his shoulders or around his arms. He didn’t think Schlatt really wanted to hurt him, because it would have been all to easy to by now, but it happened anyways, and he knew that if Tommy or Will found out, they wouldn’t let it go. 

Tommy listened to it all in silence, only interrupting him a couple of times to ask for more details or clarification. It was such a sharp contrast to his behavior before he’d been exiled, but they both had to do some more growing up in the past weeks. The war had taken its toll, of course, and Tubbo knew they had all been changed by it, but this was different. There was still that same fire in Tommy’s eyes, that same spark in Wilbur’s, but it burned so much colder. Schlatt had made things personal in a way that Dream and the others never could. 

The loss of their uniforms had struck a chord in Tubbo, too. He didn’t think anything could be worse than when he had been forced to burn his own, but seeing the others without theirs had knocked the air out of his lungs. 

“What about you guys?” Tubbo wished he could visit again. He knew he couldn’t, but he wanted to just get away for a few hours and pretend that the election had never happened. “How’s the potato farm doing?”

“It’s great. Techno’s lookin’ after it,” Tommy said. His expression dipped into a softer smile just at the mention of his brother’s name. “Won’t leave it alone, really.”

They both laughed, quietly, before drifting into a comfortable silence. The sky was getting darker, and in the woods, a zombie groaned, reminding them of the passing time. 

“I should be going soon.” Even after he said it, Tubbo made no move to leave, and eventually Tommy sighed and took initiative. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow if Will lets me come again, okay?” Tommy said, and Tubbo couldn’t help but smile. His friend rolled his eyes as he began walking backwards toward the woods. “Don’t look so excited. Gosh, you’re clingy.”

“See you soon.” 

Tommy just saluted at that, and Tubbo’s smile slipped into a grin as he returned it. There was a warm kind of pride that swelled in his chest, as it often did when he met up to exchange news with Tommy and Wilbur - pride in his friends, in L’Manberg, and in himself, too. 

They could do this. They could take back their nation, together. 

Tubbo watched until Tommy turned and jogged beyond his sight before turning towards his own home. He took his time going back, much preferring the cool night air and the quiet to the tension that he knew awaited him when he did return. 

He got a little lost in thought as he found his way onto the wooden path, and in hindsight, he should have been paying a little more attention. He should have been more alert, more aware of his surroundings. 

He wasn't, though, and so Schlatt caught him completely off guard. The president stepped out from behind a tree and directly in front of him, blocking the way as he faltered.

“What have you been up to, Tubbo?” Schaltt asked. There was a sly smile shining in his eyes, and every one of Tubbo’s instincts were screaming _danger_. He felt like a cornered animal. 

“I, uh, just went for a walk, Schlatt.” He wasn’t that great at lying under pressure, and as he wondered, as he often did, why on earth Will thought it was a good idea for him to be a spy.

“Really? That’s nice, real nice. Mind if we chat for a bit?” It was worded like an invitation, but Tubbo knew it was an order.

“Of course, Schlatt.” His hands were shaking, even as he curled them into the hem of his shirt, praying for them to still. 

The President fell into step beside him, motioning for him to keep walking and follow.

“Y’know, I’ve always liked you, kid. That’s why you’re my right-hand man. You love being my right-hand man, don’t you?”

“Yes, Schlatt.”

“Of course you do,” Schlatt laughed, reaching out to pat Tubbo on the back. He did his best not to shy away. “So why do you insist on breaking my heart here, Tubbo?”

“I’m not sure I understand, sir,” Tubbo’s mouth was dry. He was all too aware of the heavy hand still resting on his shoulder. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he stood any chance if he ran now. There was no way Tubbo would make it back to the woods without getting caught, but maybe he could make it to Eret’s castle; he’d already been offered sanctuary and even after the betrayal he knew he could still trust his old friend to protect him.

“Oh, I think you understand perfectly.” Schlatt’s grip tightened - not a vice just yet but a firm reminder of their proximity. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Did you think I wouldn’t notice you sneaking off to meet with your old pals?”

“No, Schlatt, I-” He was cut off as the horned man jerked them both to a halt. Tubbo froze, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He suddenly noticed the enchanted neterite axe slung across the other’s back, glimmering ominously in the torchlight. There was no way he could fight or run and make it out unscathed. 

“You honestly thought I wouldn’t notice you playing at being some kind of double agent?” Another laugh, this one more sinister, more maniacal. Tubbo had always been a little afraid of Schlatt since everything went wrong on election day, a sensation that had grown over the days to follow, but he had never been outright terrified of the man until now. 

“You’re a traitor, Tubbo, and I don’t tolerate traitors in my country.” Schlatt’s grip shifted down to his arm, and he started moving again, this time stepping off the path and toward the White House. Tubbo just stumbled along for a few seconds before his senses kicked back in.

“Schlatt, please.” He tried digging his heels into the dirt, tried pulling his arm free, but he was a lot smaller and lighter than the older man and it didn’t do much good. “Please, I’m sorry, just let me-”

“Shut up.” The order was accompanied by a harsh wrench that sent pain shooting up Tubbo’s arm, and he clenched his teeth to trap the cry of pain that tried to claw its way out of his throat. He dragged his feet again, but it did little to slow him down. 

There wasn’t even anyone around to hear him if he yelled for help. No one stuck around much after dusk anymore, and those who might still be lingering were all people who were loyal to Schlatt, anyways.

Tubbo did throw one last, desperate glance toward the treeline in the distance, though, as they reached the front door of the White House. He hoped to see the glint of moonlight reflecting off armor, but there was nothing. Only shadows and the glow of monsters’ eyes glaring back at him. 

Inside, Quackity was sitting at a table, although he quickly jumped to his feet as Schlatt slammed the door open. 

“What’s going on?” He asked, frowning as glanced between the two. Tubbo looked at him pleadingly. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Schlatt said, smiling as he let the door swing shut behind him. “Just wanted to show my right-hand man here something.”

Quackity hesitated, eyes darting back and forth once more. Ultimately, though, his fear of Schlatt won out, and he nodded and sat back down without another word. Tubbo could feel him still watching as Schlatt pulled him forward into the hallway and lead him to another door. This one revealed a set of stairs leading downward. They were too thin for them to continue walking side-by-side, so he was pushed to the front, giving him no choice but to descend with Schlatt waiting right behind him. 

The stairs led down further than they should have. The wood and quartz was eventually replaced by stone, and Tubbo was certain they had gone down at five flights worth of stairs before they leveled out into a narrow hallway that opened up into a room. A single flickering torch lit the space, giving off an eerie, flicking light. There were six doors lining the walls, and a couple of chests pushed into one corner. 

“Like it?” Schlatt stopped just behind him, blocking the only visible exit. “I decided I needed a much better prison if people were going to keep breaking my laws. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s not too shabby, eh?”

A harsh push to Tubbo’s shoulder sent him stumbling forward into the center of the room. Schlatt chuckled and motioned to one of the chests, still firmly planted in his spot.

“Go on, put all your stuff in there.” There was a twisted amusement in the man’s expression. “It’s not like you’ll have much use for it.”

“Schlatt, please don’t do this.” Tubbo knew it was no use pleading, even as he backed further into the room, but he had to try. Maybe there was still a little bit of mercy left for him somewhere in there. He didn’t stand a chance without it. 

“Tubbo, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” Schlatt pulled the axe off his back and held it at his side. He was looking at Tubbo like a cat looked at a mouse, and he had never felt smaller. There was no way out. 

Tubbo took his time in stripping off his armor and emptying his things into the chests. His hands were shaking as he tried to keep from turning his back fully to Schlatt; he was alive at the very least, and he intended to keep it that way. Eventually, though, his last shoulder plate was removed, and he let the chest fall shut with a click that felt far too final. 

He felt numb, even as Schlatt turned him around and grabbed his hands, even as metal cuffs were snapped around his wrists. The cold bite of the iron and the heavy weight against his wrists felt wrong and sent a heavy shudder up his spine. How had it all gone so wrong? What would Wilbur and Tommy do now, or would they even know what had happened? Would they think they betrayed them? Would Schlatt use this against them, use it to make them listen or surrender?

Tubbo didn’t want to be a bargaining chip. He didn’t want to be the thing that tore the revolution apart, but he wasn’t strong like Tommy or brave Will and he didn’t know what to _do_. 

The only thing he could think of was to fight, as late of an effort as that seemed, but he didn’t want to give up without trying. So when Schlatt turned from unlocking the door to reach for him again, Tubbo lunged at him, reaching for the axe with a desperation he had never felt before. 

He caught Schlatt’s nose with his elbow as he slammed into him with enough force to send them both tumbling across the ground, but even as the man let out a hiss of pain he didn’t relent his grip on his weapon. 

They rolled across the stone floor once as Schlatt twisted, pushing Tubbo off and over as he tried to get control. Tubbo didn’t have a weapon or full use of his hands but he was not afraid to fight dirty; he kicked and clawed with everything he had in him, and when Schlatt made the mistake of trying to grab him by the collar, Tubbo saw the opportunity and bit him. 

The metallic tang of blood hit his tongue as Schlatt cursed, momentarily loosening his grip, and he took the opportunity to scramble away. It took Tubbo a half-second longer to stumble to his feet than it should have, though, and so he only made it a few steps toward the door before a hand caught around arm and he was hauled backwards once again. 

“Nice try,” Schlatt said, panting in between his words as he lowered the edge of his axe blade to Tubbo’s throat. His eyes were glittering like ice. His blood was dripping onto the stone floor, staining it a dark shade of scarlet. “I respect the effort, really. You should’ve done that a little sooner, though.”

Tubbo didn’t have a chance to respond. The next thing he knew, he was being thrown into gaping abyss of the open cell, hitting the floor hard on his knees. The last thing he saw before the door swung shut was Schlatt, watching him with a cold smile. 

"I'll tell Tommy and Wilbur you said hi."

* * *

Tubbo was left alone in the dark for a long time after that. He was sure it was hours, maybe even days, that he sat there, waiting for someone to find him, waiting for someone to save him. 

He’d yelled a lot at first, shouting for Schlatt to come back or for one of the others to come let him out. After he’d screamed his voice hoarse he had banged on the door until his fists stung too much to risk taking another swing. Still no one came. 

After a while he realized that no one was going to. Not yet, at least. Maybe after a while, Tommy and Wilbur would notice that he wasn’t responding to their messages or showing up to any of their meeting places. Maybe after a while, they would realize that something had gone wrong. Maybe they would rescue him. They had to. 

It was hard to tell what was the worst part about his imprisonment. The dead quiet and the darkness was unnerving - he couldn’t see a single thing, and the only sound was the steady thrum of his heartbeat and his own breathing. Then again, Tubbo had never been so thirsty in his life, and his stomach was about ready start tearing at his insides. His wrists were aching from the cuffs (which he thought were kind of pointless; there was no way for him to get out either way), and his arms were still sore and bruised from Schlatt’s tight grip. Really, everything hurt, and all he could do was sit and wait and try not to cry. He wasn’t very good at that last one. It was a hopeless situation, and it was hard not to give in to the loneliness and the fear that haunted him in the darkness. 

Deep down, though, Tubbo knew the worst thing was that he was left to wonder what Schlatt had meant by his threat. If the man had known the whole time, how much of the information he had passed on was real? How much of it had Schlatt _wanted him_ to give them? Had he led his best friends, his _brothers_ , to their doom? Were they about to walk into a trap that he had led them to? Not knowing was killing him, but he couldn’t do anything about it. 

He couldn’t even keep track of how long it had been. At some point he had fallen asleep during what he assumes was still that first night, because while he didn’t remember shutting his eyes, he remembered waking up on the cold hard floor, every inch of him aching. He wasn't sure how much or how often he had slept since then, either. Part of him was scared to fall asleep even when exhaustion was weighing heavy on his shoulders, because he never knew if he would wake up in ten minutes or ten hours. There was no way to tell. 

When he did drift off, it was into vivid, twisted dreams that mixed old memories from the war and everything that had happened in the past few weeks, mixing them together into a horrific landscape of pain and fear and death.

He couldn’t stop seeing them die. He couldn’t stop seeing Tommy bleeding out in his hands, arrows protruding from his shoulder and his stomach, while he uselessly tried to stop the blood from pouring out. He couldn’t stop watching Wilbur get stabbed through the chest by a shadowed figure while he was held back by some unseen force, helpless to stop it. He watched the ground shake apart beneath them to the sound of explosions, watched the sky burn as the forest was scorched to the ground, watched the walls come down over, and over, and over. He fought and screamed and cried but nothing changed, nothing stopped it from happening, and in the background of every dream he was haunted by the echo of a familiar, chilling laugh. 

It became clear early on that it was easier not to sleep, no matter how tired he got, but opening his eyes didn’t provide much refuge from the nightmares. The darkness was heavy and suffocating. It was maddening, really, and it was hard not to imagine something lurking in the edges of the room where he couldn’t see, where he couldn’t feel. When he was sat in one place the rest of his small cell might as well not exist.

Pacing was the only thing that helped. He could trace the edges of the room, one hand against the wall, and reassure himself that it wasn’t shrinking in on him. So Tubbo paced. He paced and thought and paced some more until he had the dimensions of the room memorized, until he could walk it without a hand out to protect him from crashing against one of the walls or tripping over the bucket in the corner. He paced until his feet were too tired to continue, until he felt too weak from hunger and thirst to stay standing any longer. 

After that, he planted himself in one of the corners, back and shoulder pressed against the walls, and tried to keep the nightmares at bay. Thinking wasn’t much better, but there was nothing else to occupy his time with. He tried to keep his thoughts from wandering too far into the shadows. He tried not to think about what would happen if Schlatt never came back. If he was just left there to waste away into nothing. If he was just left to die. 

Tubbo tried not to think about that too much. Every time his thoughts started to slip in that direction he steered them away, focusing instead on his memories of his friends, his family. He missed them. He wanted to go home, back to Tommy and Wilbur, wherever they were - what was left of L’Manberg wasn’t home any more because they weren’t there and he _needed_ them there. Home wasn’t a place, it was Tommy’s hugs, Wilbur’s smiles. It was all the little things, the things he missed the most - the hours spent with Tommy in the forest chasing each other and playing, the nights where they did nothing but sit around the campfire and listen to Wilbur sing, the days they spent in sun-flooded flower fields together watching the clouds and naming the bees as one of Tommy’s discs played softly in the background.

He wished they could go back to before the election, before the war, when there was nothing for them to do but spend time together and bask in the warmth that was _home_. 

He would give anything to go back home. 

When Tubbo got tired of remembering, he would give in to sleep and dream for a while instead. He always woke in a cold sweat but at least when he woke he could remind himself that his dreams were just dreams. At least he could spend some time rationalizing the fear away instead of spiraling into his anxiety and worry. Still, he tried to resist sleeping more the longer he was trapped, worried that the fog slowly gathering in the edges of his mind would keep him from ever waking up again. 

He was still coming out of the haze of sleep when he hear the first sign of rescue. The world outside the door had been silent for so long that the sound of a metal clinking was like a bomb going off, and he shot up so fast that he made himself dizzy. 

For a moment, he sat there, leaning his forehead against the cold stone as he tried to steady himself, listening for the sound to come again. Just when he was starting to think he had imagined it, just when he was starting to think that he was going crazy, the sound came again, and hope bloomed in his chest like sunflowers.

“H-hello?” His voice cracked, throat parched and hoarse from dehydration and disuse. Tubbo tried to push himself a little closer to the door. Even if it was Schlatt, he would be happy, so long as _someone_ was there. “Hello?”

There was a pause, and then the person knocked softly against the outside of his door. Tubbo let out a breath that was the closest he could get to a laugh and knocked back. Another clink of metal, and a click of a key turning in the lock. 

The light that poured in as the door swung open was blinding after so long in the dark, and Tubbo threw his arm over his face as he squeezed his eyes shut. His head was spinning, and he felt nauseous, but there was nothing left in his stomach even if he had the strength. 

“Oh.” The voice was male and accented, but Tubbo was a little too distracted to place it just yet. They muttered something under their breath before he heard them step closer. “Hang on.”

There was another click of a lock, and then the weight around his wrists disappeared as something metal clattered against the floor. He vaguely remembered the cuffs Schlatt had forced onto his wrists. 

A hand started to close around his bruised arm and Tubbo panicked, pushing himself up with the help of the wall and trying to duck further into the depths of the cell. The movement sent a new rushing sensation through his head and his legs gave out beneath him. Instead of crashing against the stone floor, his face wound up pressed against the person’s chest as their arm looped around his back, keeping him half on his feet. 

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,” They said softly. There was a familiarity to the accent that helped settle Tubbo’s racing heartbeat even as he felt the heavy fog begin to drag him under once more. It wasn’t Schlatt, he knew, and for the moment that was all that mattered. 

His limbs were all frustratingly unresponsive, and his brain wasn’t working much better. His rescuer tried to lead him out of the cell, but he barely stumbled half a step forward before collapsing again, and they both knew there’s no way he was getting out of there on his own power. Together, they managed to get out of the door while Tubbo kept his face buried in his elbow, trying to block the blinding light. Even through his eyelids, it ached. 

“Here.” They slipped something onto his face, gently pulling his arm down, and he didn't have the energy to fight them. The object rested lightly over his eyes, and though he still won’t open them, the light stopped hurting so much. “Better?”

He let out a hum and nodded into their shoulder, unable to do much more than that. 

“Okay, I think I can carry you out of here, but I need you to drink this for me, Tubbo,” They said. Cold glass was pushed against his cracked lips, and Tubbo was too thirsty to argue or even consider not obeying. He had to guess it was some kind of potion based on the flavor. 

They adjusted their grip around his shoulders, before hooking their other hand under his legs and scooping him off the floor in one smooth motion. He felt warmer and safer than he had in a long time, and he shifted to shove his face further into their shoulder, earning him a soft laugh. 

“Let’s get you out of here.”

* * *

The next thing Tubbo registered was the sound of someone singing. Softly, under their breath like a lullaby. His throat was still dry and he still felt weak, but his head was clearer than it had been in what he can only guess was days. 

He shifts slightly, running his fingers along the soft material draped over him. He was in a bed, and it was comfortable enough for him to just want to go back to sleep. 

The moment he had started moving, though, the singing stopped. 

“Tubbo?” At the sound of his name, he hesitantly blinked his eyes open. Niki was sitting beside his bed, expression soft with relief as she reached for his hand. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her clothes were wrinkled like she hadn’t changed out of them in a while. His own clothes, on the other hand, had been changed; the suit was gone, replaced by a familiar green shirt. 

“Niki?” He barely managed to get her name out, and she gave his hand a soft squeeze.

“Here.” She passed him a cup of water with her free hand and helped him drink it, keeping him from downing it all in one go. Even once he’d drank every last drop, he still felt the need for more, but his stomach was unsettled enough for the moment.

“Where are we?” He asked, squinting as he looked around the unfamiliar room. It was dimly lit and there were no windows, making it easier on his aching eyes. The far wall contained a wooden door, and there was a bookshelf and a small table off to one side, but besides that it was empty. 

“Eret’s place,” Niki said. “He won’t let Schlatt come in, I promise. You’re safe.”

There was a burning anger in her eyes, and for a moment her expression dipped into something harsh and fierce. Niki was never much of a fighter, preferring to live in peace and use her words more than weapons, but in that moment Tubbo knew she was more than capable of killing Schlatt with her bare hands if she needed to. 

“How long was it?” He needed to know how much time he had lost. There was no way of knowing when he had been trapped, and he wasn’t sure how long he had been out, either. 

“Four days.” She shook her head, shifting forward in her seat, and placed her other hand over theirs. “I knew you were missing after the first but we couldn’t find you and Schlatt wouldn’t say a word. You’ve been here for almost two days.”

“How did Eret find me, anyways?” Tubbo asked. Niki frowned at that, her brow creasing.

“Tubbo, Eret didn’t-” She was interrupted by the door opening, and he watched her free hand dart to her waist where her sword was normally sheathed.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me,” Eret said, holding his hands up as he stepped further into the room. Niki sank back into her seat with a heavy exhale, and this time Tubbo squeezed her hand first. She gave him a grateful smile as Eret made his way over to sit on the edge of the bed. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m hungry.” Tubbo’s stomach growled in support of his words. “Still thirsty, too.”

“You can have some bread, but you have to take it slow, okay?” Niki finally released his hand to pull out a loaf from her satchel, unwrap the cloth protecting it, and hand him a large chunk of it. The bread was still soft and warm in the center, and in that moment it was the best thing he had ever eaten.

“I can get you another healing potion, too, if you need it,” Eret said. He had refilled the cup of water and set it on the nightstand beside the bed where it was in reach. As Tubbo paused in between bites he considered the offer; he wasn’t in any pain, although there was still a slight twinge in his shoulders and an ache in most places. His wrists still stung a little, too, but it wasn’t bad, and they’d done enough for him already.

“No, I’m okay.” He shifted a little further up against the headboard. “Thanks for saving me. I really thought that I…”

He didn't finish, but then, he didn't really need to. Niki and Eret exchanged a long look, before the latter let out a sigh.

“Tubbo, we didn’t - you shouldn’t be thanking _us_. George was the one that found you.” 

“What?” Tubbo had never even considered the thought that it hadn’t been Eret to get him out of the cell. Last he’d checked, George was on Schlatt’s side - he was the vice president, wasn’t he? 

Then again, he didn’t remember much of the actual rescue. His mind had been so hazy from dehydration and huger, and all he’d really remembered was the accent (which, now that he thought about it, the voice been too light to be Eret’s), and the glasses.

Tubbo reached up, realizing that he was, in fact, still wearing the glasses. Pulling them off made him wince at the harsher light, but he immediately recognized the white frames. 

“He told us to keep those on you until after you woke up because of the light,” Niki said, watching him as he slid them back on. She reached for his hand again, and he let her take it. “I thought you weren’t - I was so scared, Tubbo.”

“Honestly, I was impressed he got you all the way here by himself. He’s stronger than he looks, I guess.” Eret let out a soft laugh, and the sound made Tubbo smile, too. “I’m not sure what he’s up to, but I definitely get the feeling that he’s not too fond of Schlatt, either.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of a jerk,” Tubbo said, and Eret laughed again, but this time there was a darker undertone to it.

“That’s one way of putting it.” He stood up, running a hand through his dark hair. He looked about as tired as Niki did, and Tubbo realized that neither of them had probably slept much at all while he had been out. “I should get back to work. Try to get some rest, and hopefully we can leave after sunset.”

He left without any further explanation, shutting the door carefully behind him, and Tubbo was left to look at Niki for answers.

“Where are we going?” He asked, tipping his head. Niki smiled, eyes brightening.

“Home, Tubbo. We’re taking you home.”

* * *

Eret woke him up hours later with a careful shake to his shoulder. Tubbo still jumped, despite how gentle the contact had been, and he tried to ignore the way his friend winced in return, a flash of something like anger passing across his face. 

Niki wrapped a cloak around his shoulders, already dressed in armor with a bag slung across her back. She looked better, and Tubbo guessed she had gotten some rest while he was sleeping. 

He wasn’t fully steady, yet, but he stayed on his feet well enough as they made their way out a hidden exit at the side of Eret’s castle. The dark-haired man led the way down the hill and to the trees, his cross-bow loaded in his hands, and Tubbo and Niki trailed behind him, side-by-side so that she could offer some support if he needed it. 

It was eerily still out, and it wasn’t the cold that was giving Tubbo chills. He was grateful for the cloak, though, which he wrapped tighter around him as they slipped around the outskirts of the buildings in the area. Still he couldn’t shake the apprehension bubbling in his chest. He didn’t want to face Schlatt again. 

Niki had one hand on the hilt of her sword, the other resting lightly against his back, and he tucked a little closer into her side. Somewhere in the distance, a zombie groaned in the dark. If he peered into the shadows, he could occasionally make out the red glow of a spider’s eyes, but there was still no sign of any other people.

He hoped it stayed that way.

“Almost in the clear.” Eret’s voice was a low whisper as he shot a glance over his shoulder. “Will said to meet where you usually do.”

Niki had filled him in before he’d gone back to sleep, explaining that Eret had gotten in contact with Wilbur and Tommy after George had brought him to the castle. The two had been understandably angry and worried, she’d said, and Wilbur had to fight to stop Tommy from marching straight up to Eret’s castle right then. 

“It’s not far.” Tubbo said. He squinted at the treeline ahead of them, trying to regain his bearings. He had George’s glasses propped up on his head, as it was dark enough beyond the main cluster of buildings for him to be comfortable without them, but the lack of light did make it a little harder to pick out familiar landmarks. The fogginess hadn’t fully left him, either.

He finally was able to point out the single birch tree that stood tall above the oaks at edge of the woods, and Eret steered them in that direction as he fell back to flank Tubbo’s other side. 

Tubbo couldn’t help but pick up his pace a fraction. He wasn’t steady enough to run unless he had to, but he did his best to hurry as they walked. The sooner they were safely away from Manberg, the better, and he really just wanted to see Wilbur and Tommy again. Tubbo was grateful to Niki and Eret, and he cared about both of them a lot (it was easier, now, to smooth over the hurt that Eret had first caused with his betrayal, easier to focus on all of the good memories he had with his friend), but Wilbur and Tommy were the closest thing he had to family. He’d almost died without getting to say goodbye. He just needed to be with them. Then everything would be okay.

The woods were washed in a darker shade of gray than they had been the last time Tubbo visited. The moon had waned since their last meeting, leaving more dark shadows to hide in, and making everything a little more difficult to see. It wasn’t hard to find their clearing, though. Repetition had ingrained the path into his mind, and he barely had to think to lead the other two there. 

Tubbo had barely stepped foot into the small break in the trees when a twig snapped in the darkness across from them, and the next thing he knew Tommy was hurtling out of the trees at him.

“Tubbo!” The cry was a little louder than what was safe, but Tubbo didn’t care, because Tommy was here and he was _home_. The blond crashed into him with enough force to send them both to the ground, and luckily both Eret and Niki had moved out of the way to avoid getting dragged down, too.

Tubbo buried his face into Tommy’s shoulder as the other boy pulled him into a tight hug as they sat on the forest floor. He felt the light weight of Tommy’s cheek resting against the side of his temple, and he suddenly had to fight the urge to cry. 

“Hey, Tommy,” Tubbo said, managing to swallow the lump in his throat. They were okay. They were safe, even if it was just for a moment. “Sorry I missed our meeting.”

“Shut up.” Tommy’s voice had no bite to it, and Tubbo laughed into his shirt, blinking back his tears. “I don’t care about the stupid - why are you so _thin_ , I’m going to _kill him, Tubbo_ , you could’ve, you _almost_ -”

“I’m okay, Tommy, I’m right here, I’m okay.” Tubbo curled tighter into Tommy’s embrace as soon as he felt the taller boy try to adjust his grip and pull him closer. They both needed this, needed each other like they needed air, needed to know that they were both okay, that they were together and _alive_ and still breathing. 

Tubbo didn’t regret anything that had happened. Even the stuff he wishes he could forget, wishes he could erase from his dreams. So long as they came out alive at the end of the day, he was okay, but he was never separating from Tommy again. He doubted that the other would disagree, anyways. 

He’s not sure how long they stayed there, limbs tangled together and close enough to count their heartbeats, but he knew it was a while before Tommy finally loosened his grip a little and rocked back far enough to look him in the eyes. Tubbo pretended not to notice how watery they were, and in turn Tommy didn’t comment when he dried his own with the edge of his sleeve. 

“I’m still going to kill him,” Tommy said, and Tubbo knows he means it. 

“Get in line, Tommy.” Tubbo looked up at the sound of Wilbur’s voice to see his former leader standing just behind Tommy, looking down at the two of them with a ghost of a smile and a storm in his eyes. He offered out his hand, and while Tommy disregarded it in favor of standing on his own, Tubbo took it gratefully. He would rather not try to awkwardly stumble on his feet by himself.

Instead of releasing his hand, Wilbur immediately pulled him into a hug of his own, and while it was a lot looser than Tommy’s had been it was no less comforting. 

“I’m so sorry, Tubbo,” Wilbur said, pulling back with a shake of his head, leaving one hand on his shoulder. His voice was laced with guilt. “I should have just gotten you out of there as soon as possible. Schlatt never should have had a chance to hurt you.”

“It’s not your fault, Will, trust me.” Tubbo wasn’t sure how to make that any clearer; Wilbur and Tommy were both their own kinds of stubborn, but getting either one of them to change their opinion was like trying to move a mountain. They never budged. 

“He’s right, Will.” Niki had stepped closer, Eret still by her side, and she reached out to intertwine her fingers with Wilbur’s free hand. “Schlatt’s the only one to blame.”

Wilbur’s expression didn’t change, and Tubbo knew that there wasn’t much point in arguing it further.

“We should get going,” The former president said finally, letting out a sigh. Tubbo nodded, leaning into Tommy’s shoulder beside him as he let out a yawn, and his friend wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Wilbur sent them another fond smile before glancing back up at Niki. “Are you coming with us?”

She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

“I think I should stay as long as I can. I don’t want to leave Eret alone, either,” She added, placing a hand on the other’s arm in support. “I know you have a lot of history, Will, but he’s done nothing but help us.”

“We’ll keep an eye on things as best we can.” It was the first time Eret had spoken while they were there, as he had mostly kept his distance. They all knew how Wilbur and Tommy both felt about him, even after all this time and despite all he had tried to do to make amends. Tubbo knew it would be a while yet before they relented. “I know you still don’t like or trust me much, and I don’t expect you to after everything, but I’m on your side in this. If you ever need anything, let me know.”

“…I’ll keep it in mind,” Wilbur said. “Stay safe, Niki.”

“You, too.” 

They watched as Niki and Eret retreated back towards the latter’s castle, and soon enough the three were left alone in the clearing. Wilbur eventually turned to the two of them, smiling once again, and gestured toward the depths of the forest.

“Let’s go home, boys.”

Within a few minutes they were on their way, Tommy leading with his sword out, watchful for any mobs, with the two of them following close behind. After everything, Tubbo didn't have the energy to make the long trek to their base, and so Wilbur had readily offered his back. It had taken a bit of maneuvering, since the eldest had been wearing a bag slung over his shoulder as well as a shield, but they managed. It was quiet journey home, and Tubbo spent most of it with his tucked his face into the crook of his friend's neck, listening as Tommy filled the quiet with a steady stream of meaningless chatter that was broken only by Wilbur’s occasional comment or his own soft laugh. 

When they got back to the base, Techno greeted them at the door with something just shy of a smile and a soft _‘Welcome home’_ that warmed him to his core. Wilbur didn’t let him down until they’d made it into the small room Tommy had carved out and claimed for his own. He'd then left with Techno, leaving the two boys to get settled on their own. Tubbo was too tired to do anything but go straight to bed, and he'd barely gotten his shoes off and started to get under the blanket before the blond was climbing in next to him and nudging him over, grumbling half-heartedly under his breath about how he was taking up all the room. The bed really isn’t big enough for both of them, especially with Tommy's height, but neither of them cared. Tommy was quick to claim the pillow so Tubbo just claimed his friend's shoulder instead. They shared the blanket between them.

When Tubbo drifted off what felt like seconds later, it was to the sound of Tommy’s heartbeat and steady breathing, and the weight of his friend’s chin resting on top of his head and his arms holding him close were a gentle reassurance, a promise that they were going to be okay. His anxiety was gone, replaced with a comforting peace. 

For the first time in days, Tubbo was not afraid to sleep. 

For the first time in weeks, his dreams were free from fear.

There was only sunlight and laughter, happiness and warmth. 

There was only home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have considered writing more for this, as well as potentially writing a companion piece to it, but I don't want to make any promises just yet. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, Tommy convinced Tubbo that it's a perfectly safe idea to venture back to Manberg to retrieve his bees, and maybe someday Tubbo would learn to stop believing that anything Tommy comes up with will go smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given how well received the first part of this was, I had plenty of motivation to do some more writing. Thank you all so much!

Tubbo didn’t leave the ravine for a week. 

For the first couple of days, he barely even left their room - Tommy had stopped referring to it as “his room” within the first day, and Tubbo knew that was his way of insisting that they share it - and in turn his friend didn’t leave his side. 

While the healing potions Eret had given him while he was still unconscious had done a lot to heal him and get his strength back, he still hadn’t been fully recovered when they had first arrived at the hidden base. Even after another full night’s rest, he'd woken up feeling off-balance and a little weak, which made navigating the ravine...difficult. There were a lot of stairs, and Tubbo wasn’t great at climbing them. Wilbur had stepped out of his own room just in time to see him almost slip off the side and had all but ordered him to go back to bed and stay there. Tommy stayed with him.

It was nice, at first, to just rest and spend some time with his best friend. He had been working non-stop since the election, and had definitely been lacking enough sleep. He’d really missed Tommy, too. 

Wilbur spent a few hours with him each day, too, in between working on the base and gathering more materials. He would usually bring his guitar with him, too. It had been one of the first things that Tubbo had smuggled out of their old houses when he had started spying for his friends, along with Tommy’s jukebox and discs. Despite how impractical it was, he knew how much it meant to Wilbur, and the ex-president hadn’t been able to hide his smile when Tubbo had shown up with the instrument. 

Tommy had told him he didn’t play it very much during the first weeks following the election; he had been razor-focused on preparing and planning, putting all of energy into establishing their new base and trying to achieve some level of security. 

During the first week that Tubbo spent in the base, though, and especially during the first few days when he was confined to their room, Wilbur played it almost as often as he had during L’Manberg’s peace time. It become a nightly tradition for all four residents of the ravine to eat dinner together, and afterwards he would always play at least one song. During the day, he would do more strumming than singing, always looking deep in thought. 

Techno would visit by himself on occasion, mostly to deliver food or more water. He would always hover for a few minutes afterward, usually to tease Tommy, before leaving to go work on the farm again. While Tubbo had only met their brother a few times in person before then, he had heard enough stories over the years, and Techno lived up to each and every one of them; he was smart, and strong, and kind in his own way. He was subtler with his affection, but Tubbo could tell he loved his brothers a lot. The fact that he had showed up so quickly spoke volumes on how much he cared; he was ready to live and fight and die beside them. Tubbo understood why Tommy looked up to him so much. 

On the third day, Tubbo started getting restless, and Wilbur finally relented in letting him help out more around the base. He’d had to climb up and down the stairs several times to prove that he could in fact do so without need of supervision; Techno stepped out of the farm to watch for a few seconds before calling Wilbur a mother hen and inviting Tubbo to help him replant potatoes. 

The farm ended up being where he spent most of his time after that. When he wasn’t planting with Techno he was working with redstone, perfecting the farm’s mechanical aspects and playing around with a couple new projects on the side. Tommy continued to follow him around like a shadow. No one called him out for it until he started getting in the way and Techno sent him to go mining with Wilbur for a few hours. Tommy had grumbled, but obeyed. Tubbo and Techno had spent the rest of the afternoon quietly working together, bonding over the farm and their shared love of teasing Tommy. 

Throughout it all, Tubbo didn’t talk much about what had happened. He tried his best to just forget, push it away like it was all just a bad dream. Nightmares couldn’t hurt him once he woke up, and it was easier to chase them away when he was curled into Tommy’s side each night. When Will had helped them construct another bed to put in the room the boys now shared, they had immediately shoved the two beds together and attached them to the best of their ability. It had taken no discussion, no planning; neither of them wanted to sleep alone, anymore. 

The few times that Tubbo had started to fall into a nightmare, Tommy was able to wake him up before it got too bad, and whenever his friend started to drift into bad dreams of his own, he could return the favor. They didn’t often talk about what their nightmares had been about, although it would be easy to guess, anyways. Usually they just moved a little closer and did their best to go back to sleep. Most nights, it worked fine. 

It was both easier and harder to keep his mind off of it in the daytime. There was more to keep himself busy with, more distractions to focus on, but there was much more time to think, too. It was easy to get lost in thinking, and it didn’t take much to send him spiraling down the wrong train of thought.

Tommy was good at helping him with this, too. He was an extra distraction, always providing a constant flow of conversations for him to latch onto. Tommy could also catch on to when his thoughts were starting to wander too far almost faster than Tubbo could himself, and he always knew how to steer them back to brighter grounds. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, but he was at least coping. They were fine.

If he did venture outside, it wasn’t far, and it was always under the watchful gaze of either Wilbur or Techno, with Tommy at his side. He liked to venture into the nearby meadow with his friend and watch the clouds or pick flowers; it reminded him of the way they used to spend their afternoons before the war, and it was a much happier set of memories to remember.

One afternoon, they found a beehive on a tree at the edge of the fields, and Tubbo had been reminded of his own bees back at home. 

“What’s the matter?” Tommy had asked, looking at him with a frown. “Normally you’re a lot more excited to see bees.”

“I am, really, it’s just that I left my bees back at my base.” Tubbo had asked Niki to keep an eye on them in his absence whenever she could, but given how tense things were between her and Schlatt, he wasn’t sure how often she was actually able to. “I miss them.”

Tommy had gone all quiet then, staring at him with a mix of emotions that Tubbo didn’t have the energy to untangle. He stayed that way for a while, just watching, and only started talking again when Tubbo asked him a direct question. Even when they made their way back to the base’s entrance, hours later, he had been less energetic than normal, and really that should have been the first sign that he was planning something.

* * *

“You want to go back to Manberg?” Tubbo dropped the hoe in his hands, letting the tool fall into the soft dirt, and stared at Tommy with wide eyes. His friend was usually the more reckless of the pair, but this was pushing it even for him. “Why?”

“All of your stuff is still there,” Tommy said with a shrug. “Including your bees. You brought my stuff and Will’s stuff to us, so I don’t think it’s fair that you have to leave everything behind. We’ll just sneak in, grab some things, and sneak out. It’ll be easy.”

“Tommy, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Tubbo wiped the sweat off his brow, taking a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to talk Tommy down from this new idea before he was talked into it. “It’s not safe. Besides, Wilbur would never let us.”

“Wilbur doesn’t have to know.” Or really, Wilbur _couldn’t_ know, if Tommy was really implying that they were going to sneak out. “And it’ll be perfectly safe. Techno’s coming with us.”

That did, in fact, make Tubbo feel a little better about the whole idea, but he still hesitated. Returning to get his things meant returning to Manberg. Returning to Manberg meant potentially running into Schlatt. Running into Schlatt meant facing him, and while he didn’t doubt for a second that Tommy and Techno would both protect him if needed, he wasn’t sure if he was ready.

“I don’t know, Tommy, I…”

“Tubbo.” Tommy’s expression shifted, his voice softening in the way it only did when he was being truly, whole-heartedly serious. He placed both hands on Tubbo’s shoulder, ducking his head slightly to better meet his eyes. “I _promise_ that we’ll be careful, and nothing’s going to happen to you. Even if something goes wrong, even if we get caught, I will make sure you get back home.”

Tubbo stilled beneath his friend’s touch, letting out a shaky exhale as he tried to weigh the risks in his mind.

“What about you? Who’s going to make sure _you_ get home?” He asked, because if Tommy got caught for him, if Tommy got _hurt_ , then he would never be able to forgive himself. They both had to be okay. They both had to survive this.

“That would be my job, I think.” Techno was standing in the entrance to the farm, leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed. He had his armor strapped on already, the enchanted netherite glimmering a dark purple over his usual shirt and pants, and his pink hair was tied up in a tighter ponytail than usual, like it was when they sparred. “So are we going or did I get all dressed up for nothing?”

Tubbo looked to Tommy, who was staring back at him expectantly, blue eyes bright and full of promise.

“Okay,” Tubbo said. His heart was racing already, but he nodded anyway. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

They left within a half hour, making sure to strap on their gear and get out before Wilbur returned from mining. The last thing they wanted was to get caught; while Techno was the right mix of chaotic and responsible to accompany them, Wilbur would shut down their plans on the spot if he found out. Tubbo really wanted his bees back, now that he had accepted the idea, and so he did not want to get caught. Still, he insisted they at least leave a note, just in case. 

“We should have at least an hour or two before Will gets back, and hopefully he won’t even notice we’re gone,” Tommy said as they started making their way back toward their old home. They had brought one of the horses in case they needed help carrying things back, as well as a few extra bags. Tubbo had emptied out his ender chest before leaving so that he could put his bee boxes and any of the valuables still left in his base inside the pocket dimension, which would be a lot safer than trying to carry them back by hand. They would take as much as they could, since Tubbo had a lot of supplies, but the most important things would be safe if they got caught.

“Somehow, I think he’ll notice.” Techno snorted, leading the horse around a tree. “He’s not a complete idiot.”

Tommy made the sound he always made when he was nervous - the strangled half-laugh that he blew through puffed-out cheeks.

“Be honest with me, big man, on a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think he’s going to be when he finds out?”

“Oh, at least an eight,” Techno said without hesitation. “Probably a nine, though, or a ten if you’re really unlucky.”

“Tommy’s usually really unlucky.” Tubbo watched Tommy’s face go a little paler as he started to comprehend, for the first time, how much trouble he was going to be in when they got back. Tubbo reached over and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Maybe not this time, though. Maybe he’ll find diamonds or something and be in a good mood.”

“Maybe.” Tommy agreed, quickly latching on to that small sliver of hope. “It’ll be fine.”

“Just be glad Phil’s not here.” Techno’s mention of the eldest was not the first that Tubbo had heard; the three often spoke of the fourth member of their family, who he had met once or twice in the past. Sometimes Tommy talked about asking Phil to join them, but Wilbur had always stopped him from telling him exactly how dire their situation was, not wanting to get anyone else involved unless they had to. Tubbo knew enough about Phil to know that he would come the moment his kids hinted that they were in trouble, even if they didn’t explicitly ask him to come help. 

“Oh, we wouldn’t have even made it out of the ravine.” Tommy shook his head as he ducked under a branch that hung just above Tubbo’s head. Sometimes being shorter had its perks. “He would have just known something was up before we had even figured out a plan. Speaking of which, here’s what I’m thinking, boys…”

He then launched into a lengthy explanation of his plan for their venture back into what was now enemy territory, which quickly devolved into a mess as he jumped from contingency to contingency. It probably would have been a lot easier to follow what he was trying to say if it weren’t for the fact that every time he mentioned something that could potentially go wrong, Techno would point it out, and Tommy would scramble to explain exactly why that wouldn’t happen or what they would do if it did. Tubbo had lost interest in the idea of having an actual plan from the start. No matter how much planning they did, they were never able to follow it, so he didn’t see the point. 

Still, Tommy talked all the way to the tree line, when Techno finally stopped and turned to them, his expression falling into something more serious.

“First priority is gettin’ out of here safely,” He said, leveling both of them with his steady gaze. “If I tell you to run, you run like a horde of pigmen are on your tail, go it?”

Tubbo nodded immediately. He had no issue with that plan, because while he was ready to defend himself and his friends if needed, he would rather not risk getting caught. Something told him he wouldn’t be so lucky in getting away a second time.

Tommy, on the other hand, frowned and opened his mouth to protest. Techno held up a hand as the slant of his brow sharpened a little further. 

“If you’re not going to agree then we can just go back right now.” There was no doubt in Tubbo’s mind that he meant that; Techno did not mess around when there was danger. “Keeping you nerds safe is going to be way more difficult if you’re not going to listen, and the last thing I need is to bring you back home with a stab wound or something. Wilbur’s already going to be upset with me.”

“All right, fine.” Tommy dragged out a sigh as he folded his arms across his chest, flipping one hand toward Techno. “We’ll follow your lead, big man.”

“Great.” Techno smirked, his sharp tusks poking up over the edge of his smile, and he reached out to ruffle his brother’s hair, which earned him a scowl. “Tubbo, where to first?”

“My bees are at Tommy’s other house,” Tubbo said. “With Henry. It was safer out there than at my bunker. I’d like to try and empty out the archive if we can, but that’ll be a lot more dangerous.”

“Let’s start with the bees.” Techno quickly tied off the horse’s reigns on a nearby branch, giving a sharp tug to check that it was secure before turning back to the two of them. “And I have no idea where that is so one of you is going to have to show me.”

“It’s this way.” Tommy pointed down the treeline, and Tubbo hummed before reaching up and adjusting the direction of his friend’s hand.

“You were close,” He said with a laugh, stepping around the blond and taking the lead.

They made their way around the edge of the woods, always staying a few trees away from the treeline to keep out of sight. They couldn’t get caught. 

Eventually, they met the coastline, and Tubbo led them down the beach, using the incline of the hill as a new layer of cover. No one ever really went down to the water on this end, but he wanted to be careful, just in case. He wasn’t sure if Schlatt had kept up with the patrols or if he had even increased their frequency and range; they were well outside of Manberg’s territory, but with his ambitious desire to expand, Tubbo didn’t put it past the man to start poking around beyond the borders. 

“I hope Henry’s doing all right.” Tommy hadn’t seen his cow since before the election, as far as Tubbo knew. He had thought about smuggling his friend’s pet to him, but it was too risky. Cows weren’t easy to move stealthily. 

“He was fine last I saw him, and I think Niki’s been checking in, too,” Tubbo said. He had asked her to stop by every now and then to make sure that both of their pets were okay, but he wasn’t sure how often she was able to safely to do so; Schlatt still had it out for her, last he checked. 

They made it the bottom of the cliff that Tommy had built his second house on, and Tubbo let the other boy take the lead in scaling the steep hill alongside it to check if the coast was clear for them to follow. Techno waited patiently at the bottom with him as the blond scrambled upward and out of sight. A few seconds passed in tense silence, which Tubbo took as a good sign. Tommy had a tendency to do a lot of yelling whenever he was in danger.

After a moment, though, the other boy leaned back over the hill into view, waving at them to join him. 

“After you,” Techno said, motioning toward the cliff.

By the time both of them had gotten up to the top, Tommy was already at the small paddock beside his house, petting Henry with a rare soft grin lighting up his face. Tubbo couldn’t help but smile himself as he walked around the edge of the fence line to where his bee boxes sat, safe and sound.

“Hey, Spins,” He said, reaching out to greet one of the bees that came fluttering out to meet him. “Is everyone still here?”

It took him a moment to poke around both of the boxes and the nearby patches of flowers, but eventually he was able to account for all of his bees, to his relief. They all looked to be in good condition, which was good. Their plan was to relocate the bees through the ender chest, since that was less problematic than carrying the boxes all the way back home, but the experience of being put into the dimensional pocket space would probably not be the most pleasant for them.

“This’ll take me a second if you guys want to gather anything we need from the chests inside,” Tubbo suggested, kneeling down to start a small fire. The smoke would calm the bees long enough for him to get them inside the ender chest. 

“I’ll keep watch.” Tommy was balancing on the fence, still patting Henry’s nose, but he angled himself to keep a general eye out on their surroundings. 

“All right.” Techno said. “Yell if you’re about to get stabbed.” 

Tubbo worked as quickly as he could, carefully dampening a square of cloth and holding it over the box to trap in as much of the smoke as he could; if he let it rise it would be a dark beacon against the clear sky and he really didn’t want anyone coming over to investigate. 

Then again, there was a lot of arson happening lately, so maybe no one would notice. He decided it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Still, he finished pretty quickly, and when Techno came out of the house, his satchel a little fuller than before, Tubbo was ready to pick up the bee boxes and put them into his ender chest, and the pink-haired man readily assisted him. Tommy continued to watch, giving out pointers that were usually unhelpful.

When they were done, he hopped off the fence and wandered over to join them. 

“Okay, so that’s done. Next stop’s the bunker, right?” 

Tubbo hesitated. It would be easier for them to just leave, to escape back to the forest and go home before anyone saw them, before they got caught. Still, he knew that the archive was too valuable to just abandon, and he wasn’t sure if Niki would be able to access it without being caught herself. 

“Yes,” He said, deciding that it was worth the risk. “It’ll be quick; I just need to get the books out and we can go.”

“Where’s the entrance at?” Techno asked. 

“The main entrance is in L’Manberg, but I built a side exit a few days after the election.” Tubbo added. He thanked his past self for having that foresight; if they tried getting into it from the main entrance now, there was no way they would make it. “Follow me.”

He took the lead once more, heading up and over the crest of the hill, internally wincing at how visible they were. It didn’t help that they all stood out so strongly against the greens and blues of the world around them, and all someone had to do was glance in their general direction to be able to spot them. 

“We’ll make it quick.” Tubbo barely raised his voice above a whisper, and he wasn’t sure if he was reassuring the others or himself anymore. The sun was hot on his back, but that didn’t stop the ice-cold fear from crawling up into his chest as they drew closer and closer to Manberg. “We’ll be home before we know it.”

* * *

Somehow they got the books without being seen. Tubbo didn’t know how, but he prayed their luck wouldn’t run out before they were safe. 

He was walking carefully between the two, Tommy forging ahead and Techno at his back as they made their way back to the treeline. They were still being careful, but now that they had what they needed they weren’t afraid to just run for their lives if they absolutely needed to. Tubbo really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

He adjusted his satchel, the heavy weight of the books hanging at his side a steady reminder that they had succeeded. He couldn’t wait to get home and find a new place for them, and his bees, too. The meadow that he and Tommy liked to visit wasn’t too far from the entrance to their base and he hoped it would be safe enough to set up the bee boxes there; the flowers were pretty, with plenty of tulips and poppies for Spins and the others to work with. 

Hopefully their time in the ender chest wasn’t too - 

“Uh oh.” Tommy had come to a stop so suddenly that Tubbo bumped into his shoulder as he was jerked out of his train of thought. The blond was staring at the treeline, looking a little nervous, and following his gaze led right to a familiar figure marching up the hill toward them.

“Oh, he’s mad all right. That’s a nine or ten for sure,” Techno observed, stepping up behind the two. Tubbo thought that was an understatement. Wilbur looked absolutely _livid_ , and he could hear him cursing his younger brother out even before he started up the grassy slope to meet them.

“What on _earth_ do you think you’re doing?” Wilbur demanded, scowling as he grabbed Tommy by the shoulder. “You can’t just disappear and leave me a bloomin’ note that you’re going to go frolic in enemy territory!”

Tubbo did his best to appear small and innocent as Tommy let out a nervous laugh and ran a hand through his hair. They all knew he was the much easier target to blame for the excursion.

“To be fair, we were barely ever _in_ -” 

Wilbur didn’t even let him finish.

“It doesn’t _matter_!” He was doing his best to keep his volume down and his temper in check, Tubbo knew, as he watched him close his eyes and take a few deep breaths. “You could have gotten yourselves killed.”

“But we didn’t.” As soon as Tommy started speaking, Tubbo grabbed his hand, trying to will him back into silence, because Wilbur _did_ have a point and they didn’t need to make him any angrier. It didn’t work. “Look, we’re _fine_ , and Techno was with us, anyways, so you don’t need to get so worked up about it.”

“Oh, I’m angry with Techno, too, but I’m not going to get into that right now,” Wilbur said. He dropped his hand from Tommy’s shoulder and turned with a shake of his head. “Let’s just go home before Schlatt finds out we-”

“I think it’s a little late for that.” Schlatt’s voice was unmistakable. Tubbo whipped around as Wilbur swore, his heartbeat stuttering in his chest. Techno was mostly blocking him, having already slid half-way into a fighting stance, but he could still clearly see around him as Schlatt stepped down the stairs with Quackity, Jack, and Punz following behind him. The latter two were dressed in full Netherite, and all three of them were clearly armed.

It stung a little, seeing Jack still standing on Schlatt’s side of the conflict, seemingly having not wavered, but mostly Tubbo’s attention was preoccupied with the president himself.

“What are you gentlemen doing out here, huh?” Schlatt asked, scanning the group with a neutral expression. Tommy slid a fraction closer to Tubbo, sending a tight squeeze through their interlocked hands, and the pressure reminded him to breathe again. 

“Nothing that involves you, Schlatt.” Wilbur had moved up closer behind them, too, a comforting presence at their backs. Before, the anger in his voice had been all passionate heat, but now there was chilled tightness to it, more ice than fire. 

“Well, I think it does, considering you were just on my lands, which, last I checked, you were banned from entering,” Schlatt said. He smiled slightly, then, but his expression didn’t soften. Tommy scoffed.

“We’re nowhere near the border right now, Schlatt, and you can’t prove we ever were,” He said. Tubbo gave a small tug on his hand as the blond started to step forward, pulling him back to his side. The last thing they needed was to pick a fight. He wasn’t sure if he was physically or even mentally prepared for combat right now, and while the three of them all had gear on, Wilbur was only wearing a leather chestplate. They couldn’t risk it.

“The borders are expanding all the time, Tommy, didn’t you know? Or did Tubbo not tell you that?” At his name, Tubbo’s gaze shifted back to Schlatt, only to find the tyrant staring right back, eyes glittering like a snake’s. “Speaking of which, it’s good to see you, bud. I was wondering where you’d gotten off to.”

“Shut up. You don’t get to talk to him after what you did.” Tommy bristled beside him, trembling with raw anger beneath Tubbo’s hold, and it wasn’t hard to tell that their tightly locked hands were the only thing stopping him from attacking; the other boy’s free hand was already wrapped around the hilt of his sword. 

“What I did - oh for cryin’ out loud, I just -”

“Don’t, Schlatt,” Wilbur said, cutting him off. “Don’t act like what you did wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Wait, did you really think I was trying to kill him?” Schlatt was laughing as if in disbelief, but although he sounded surprisingly genuine Tubbo struggled to find it in himself to believe the man. He remembered the endless suffocating darkness, the cold look in Schlatt’s eyes when he had slammed the door shut without hesitation, the terror that had gripped him when he had come to the realization that he was going to die. 

“Four days,” Tubbo said, lifting his chin to better meet Schlatt’s gaze. He hated the way his voice shook, hated the way he wanted to run as fast and far away as he could. “If you were going to come back you had time to, Schlatt. You could have come back, and you didn’t.”

“I was going to, bud, believe me,” Schlatt’s promises meant nothing to him anymore, yet still there was something in his voice that sounded so convincing. “I wasn’t actually trying to hurt you or anything. Did you really think I was just going to leave you there?”

Tubbo didn’t need to answer; _yes_ was probably spilling from every inch of expression in the same way that he could see and feel the anger and disgust flooding Tommy’s. 

The silence stretched on, thin and taut like trip wire set to snap, and when no else spoke up to deny the accusation, even Jack and Punz shifting behind him in clear discomfort at the implication, Schlatt let out another laugh. His eyes drifted over Tubbo’s shoulder.

“C’mon, Wilbur, you know me, pal. Does that sound like something I would do?” He asked, hands spread placatingly. 

“I don’t think I know you at all anymore, Schlatt, so don’t start that with me.” Wilbur’s voice was low and heavy, like storm clouds on a dark horizon. Out of the corner of his eye Tubbo watched him place a hand against the back of Tommy’s shoulder, and his friend slowly exhaled through his clenched teeth. “You’ve changed. The man I once called my friend might as well be dead. You’re not him.”

“You’ve changed, too, y’know,” Schlatt said. “You used to be a lot more fun.”

Wilbur laughed without humor then, and Tubbo tilted his head far enough to find the anguish hidden behind the man’s stony expression. It was a heavy reminder that he and Schlatt were close, once. Tubbo tried to picture standing against Tommy in the same way the two former friends were now, and his heart ached at the very thought. 

“We have different definitions of ‘fun’, Schlatt. Mine doesn’t involve hurting people.”

“Oh, come _on_.” Schlatt rolled his eyes, scoffing lightly. “Don’t be so dramatic, Wilbur. Honestly, you people act like I-”

He had started to close the gap between the two groups, but he had barely gotten more than a step forward before Tubbo found himself flinching backward on instinct, and Tommy’s sword was already drawn by the time he’d registered what he’d done. 

“Don’t you dare come any closer.” Tommy was all but snarling as he pointed his sword directly toward the horned man’s chest. There were still several feet between them, but he was getting his message across. 

Schlatt paused at that, and there was a new tension in the air as Punz and Jack raised their loaded crossbows in response. Tubbo’s heart was hammering in his chest, and he took another step back, this time far enough to bump into Wilbur, who immediately placed a steadying hand on his back.

“You’re safe, Tubbo, I promise. Deep breaths.” Wilbur’s voice was softer than whisper, barely audible just behind his ear, but his gentle tone helped keep him grounded.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend moving in this direction, like, at all,” Techno said. He took his time in unsheathing his broadsword, still casually halfway into a fighting stance as he stared their opposition down. 

“What, are you threatening us now?” Schlatt asked, his brow furrowed as his frown twisted into a scowl. Techno shrugged. 

“I was leaving it open to interpretation.” 

“Okay, Schlatt, maybe we should just go.” Quackity had stepped down to place a hand on his leader’s shoulder, but Schlatt shook him off.

“No, I think we-”

“What’s going on here?” At the new voice, both parties turned at the same time to see George standing at the edge of the small outcropping ledge above them. The vice-president was dressed in his own armor, bow slung over his shoulder, with a pair of white glasses resting on top of his head that matched the ones sitting in Tubbo’s chest back home. 

“George, I thought we were going to meet in my office,” Schlatt said. There was a shift in the other man’s tone as he addressed his supposed ally. The last time Tubbo had seen the two together they had seemed to get along just fine, so he could only guess that it had something to do with him.

“You were late.” George folded his arms across his chest. With the sun behind him casting a shadow across his face, it was hard to make out his expression, but Tubbo was sure he was frowning. “What are you doing, Schlatt?”

“Just making sure some former citizens know that they aren’t welcome anymore.” Schlatt said, turning to scowl a little harder in their general direction. Mostly at Techno and Tommy, who were the biggest threat and the loudest, respectively.

“We were _trying_ to leave before you interrupted us,” Tommy snapped, rolling his eyes. He’d let his sword drift down to his side as he fell into a more neutral position, but he didn’t sheathe it. “Not that we’re in ‘Manberg’anyway.”

George glanced between the groups once more before letting out an audible sigh. He vaulted down from the short ledge in one smooth motion and stepped in between the two groups, motioning with one hand for Punz and Jack to lower their crossbows. Both did.

“Schlatt, just go back to Manberg,” George said, gesturing toward the president with a shake of his head. “I’ll escort them back to the forest and meet you back at your office.”

“Y’know, George, last I checked I was supposed to be giving the orders around here.” Schlatt’s shoulders had stiffened with thinly contained anger. If Tubbo was the one facing off with the horned man, he would want to take a few steps back for safety, but George didn’t waver at the glare being cast his way. “You’d better watch yourself.”

It was a threat, clear as day. If Schlatt was a snake he would be a rattler, sounding off a warning bell that he was ready to strike. 

“Of course, Schlatt.” George was already turning away, disinterest ringing out in his tone as he rolled his eyes. “So long as you remember what we talked about.”

The cryptic phrase meant nothing to the rest of them, but for a split second Tubbo watched Schlatt hesitate, his stony expression flickering with something like unease. He had never seen the confident man balk at anything before, but he was now.

“Meet me in my office after you’re done. That’s an order.” Schlatt sent one last sweeping glare at the group, pausing briefly on Wilbur, before he spun on his heel and headed back the way he had come from, Quackity close on his heels. Jack paused before following, looking conflicted for the first time since the election. 

Punz was the only one who lingered for a moment longer.

“Want me to come with you, George?” He narrowed his eyes at Tommy and Techno in particular. He didn’t quite lower his crossbow all the way, but he didn’t look like he was going to fire it anytime soon, either. 

“I’ll be fine, Punz, trust me,” George said. His tone had softened with Schlatt’s departure, like the horned man had taken all anger with him. That, and he was actually speaking to a friend this time - unless something had changed in Tubbo’s absence. He doubted it, since he was pretty sure Punz had always been more loyal to George than Schlatt to begin with.

“It’s not _you_ that I don’t trust, and I don’t want Sapnap to murder me if something happens.” Honestly, Tubbo couldn’t blame Punz for that one. They all knew that messing with any member of the Dream Team meant messing with all of them, and George was arguably the worst one to go for; Sapnap and Dream were the most aggressive and way more bloodthirsty when their friends were in trouble - especially if it was George. 

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Wilbur interjected. “That would do nothing for us but make things worse, and we’re not stupid.” 

He didn’t mention the obvious reason why they wouldn’t attack George - his involvement with Tubbo’s rescue, but Tubbo guessed he was unsure of whether he could trust Punz with that information. While it was unlikely that Punz would do anything, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“See? It’ll be fine.” George said, giving his friend a smile. “I’ll see you later.”

Punz finally relented at that, nodding and turning away. He didn’t follow the others’ path, instead stepping off into the grass and heading in the direction of his own home. George waited for him to get over the hill before turning to their group. He met Tubbo’s gaze for a moment, his dark eyes searching, and the sharp lines of his face softened slightly.

“Did you get everything you came for?” He asked, glancing at the others, too. “I don’t know if it’s safe to go back at this point, but I could probably get it to you later.”

“We should be fine, thanks,” Wilbur said, as Techno and Tommy both reluctantly sheathed their weapons now that the others had left. “They just came back for Tubbo’s bees.”

“Good, then we can talk on the way.” George started past them, heading straight for the treeline, and motioned for them to follow. “C’mon, I don’t want anyone else to come along and pick a fight with Tommy.”

“Hey, man, why are you singling me out?” Tommy complained, releasing Tubbo’s hand to follow the man down the hill. Tubbo fell into step with Wilbur a little ways behind him.

“I mean, statistically speaking, Tommy, you seem to be the most likely to start something, which is impressive considerin’ I’m here,” Techno said. He brought up the rear, watching their backs like he always did. 

“He has a point.” Tubbo agreed, laughing slightly. Even Wilbur chuckled a little as Tommy spluttered in protest.

“That’s just rude.”

“Not that we aren’t grateful or anything, but why are you helping us, George?” Wilbur asked. “I mean, getting Tubbo out was one thing - you would have to be a monster to leave him there - but risking your standing with Schlatt to step in for us was completely unnecessary.”

“First of all, my standing with Schlatt has been rocky ever since he figured out I broke Tubbo out and then refused to tell him where I had taken him.” George paused to push aside a low hanging branch, and didn’t continue until Wilbur reached out to hold it for both him and Tubbo. “And second, I never wanted Schlatt in power. Quackity made that stupid deal without me, and now we’re all stuck dealing with the fallout.” 

“Why did you run with Quackity, anyway?” Tommy had gotten a few paces ahead of the rest of them, and he looked back over his shoulder as he walked. “You never seemed very interested in the election.”

“I only agreed because we thought it would be a good move for us.” George didn’t need to explain who “we” referred to; anything that the Dream Team did, they did together. “We didn’t necessarily think Quackity and I would win, but we didn’t trust him to not cause absolute chaos as soon as he was in power. We didn’t expect things to be _this_ bad, of course, but that’s more to do with Schlatt than anyone else.”

They had delved a good way into the woods at that point, just past the furthest meeting point that Tubbo and Wilbur had used before.

“Uh, guys?” Techno had stopped walking behind them. “We forgot about the horse.”

They had. It wouldn’t take them long to backtrack to it, now, but they still had definitely passed it by now. 

“Where did you leave it?” Wilbur was pinching the bridge of his nose, looking tired and all too ready to start yelling again. 

“We’ll go get it,” Tommy marched past the rest of the group to grab Techno by the sleeve. Tubbo noted how quickly he had jumped on the opportunity to get away from Wilbur for a few minutes, and he hoped that he wasn’t scheming again. As if sensing his thoughts, Tommy shot a grin over his shoulder. “We’ll be back in a few minutes. Just wait here for us.”

George had already claimed a nearby boulder to sit and wait on, and Tubbo glanced around their patch of woods before sitting down on a fallen log. Wilbur stared into the woods after his brothers for a few seconds, shaking his head in something between fond exasperation and just plain irritation, before eventually coming over to join them. Tubbo tapped the spot next to him, earning himself a smile. 

“So, question for you, George.” Wilbur had barely sat down before returning to his questions. “If you dislike Schlatt as much as the rest of us, why are you still there?” 

There was a pattern to the way his voice always sharpened on Schlatt’s name, like even just saying it pained him, reminding him of what he had lost. 

“I’m trying to keep an eye on things as much as I can,” George said. He pushed his glasses a little higher on top of his head; he didn’t need them with the foliage above them blocking out all the light. “Schlatt doesn’t exactly like me right now, but he still trusts me more than Dream. Or Sapnap, for that matter.”

  
“He hasn’t…done anything to you, has he?” The last thing that Tubbo wanted was for someone else to get hurt because of him. It was the reason he had kept quiet about the way Schlatt had treated him in the first place; he knew if the others had known any sooner there would have been a fight, and there was no way they would all go through that without injury or worse.

“No. Well, he tried threatening me once, but that didn’t last long,” George amended with a huff. He shook his head. “I honestly doubt he’ll try it again.”

“Why? What happened?”

George smiled, but this time it was cunning, his sharp intellect shining through his eyes. It was easy to overlook him in favor of the other two - they were both stronger and more skilled in battle - but he was extremely smart and an excellent fighter in his own right; he was probably one of the best archers Tubbo knew of. Not to mention the fact that he was a talented cleric, a valuable skill in their day-to-day lives.

“Schlatt can’t touch me, and he knows it. As soon as he does, Dream and Sapnap stop caring about any political protection that he has.”

“Where is Dream, anyways?” Wilbur asked. “No one’s seen him since before the election.”

“He’s been keeping his distance for now,” George said. “He’s trying to keep the appearance that he’s neutral in all of this.”

“That implies that he’s not.”

The slight deepening of George’s smile was the only reply Wilbur got as the other man slid off the rock he had been perched on.

“I should be getting back,” He said, pausing as he adjusted the bow on his shoulder. Once again, his gaze linked with Tubbo’s for a few heartbeats. “Try not to get into too much trouble.”

Despite the teasing phrase, there was a heavy, serious undertone to the words. Tubbo gave him a small smile, trying to figure out just how to express the messy mixture of gratitude and everything else stirring in his chest. Before he could piece a sentence together, George was glancing away to Wilbur, and the two exchanged nods that spoke volumes more than Tubbo could ever hope to interpret.

Then he was walking back the way they had come from, disappearing further into the woods with each step.

“Wait!” Tubbo scrambled off the log, ignoring Wilbur’s soft call of his name. George paused and turned back with a raised brow, just in time to catch Tubbo as he tripped and nearly crashed into him.

“Whoa, easy there,” George said, laughing slightly as he steadied them both. Tubbo grabbed his arm before he could pull away, looking up to meet the elder’s eyes once more.

“ _Thank you._ ” He hoped that George understood what he had done for him and that it was so much more than just saving his life - he had gotten him out of Schlatt’s reach, he had gotten him _home_ , and now they maybe stood a real chance of taking back their country. Together, as a family. They hadn’t really felt whole since before the war but maybe, _maybe_ , after they freed their home and restored what had been lost they could just have peace for a while. All of them, living in harmony, just like the early days. 

George stared at him in silence for a few seconds as his expression slowly softened in. He reached out with one hand like he was going to place it on Tubbo’s shoulder before drawing away and shaking his head. 

“You don’t need to thank me, Tubbo,” He said, eyes dimming with something like sorrow, something like regret. “I - there is so much I wish I hadn’t done. We all wish we could go back and change things, but we can’t. We just want to make things right.”

“I think you can.” Tubbo believed it. He had to. “I think we all can.”

“I hope you’re right.” George pulled away then with one last smile, and Tubbo couldn’t help but match the expression to his memories from before they had taken sides in a war, when their biggest worries were the monsters in the woods at night. He remembered this gentle, fond side of George that came out whenever he sat the boys down to tend to their cuts and scrapes and lecture them on their recklessness and stupidity. He missed it. 

“Be safe,” Tubbo said, taking a step back as he heard Tommy call his name. George nodded.

“You, too.” Then he disappeared into the bushes without another word, without any further goodbye. Tubbo stood for a few moments longer, watching until the leaves had settled once more, and when there was no sign left that the other had ever been there beside the slight smudge of his footprint in the dirt, he finally turned away.

There was hope sparking bright in his chest, brighter than it had ever burned before. He kept it hidden inside his heart like that could protect it from harsh winds and pouring rain, like containing it could keep it from burning out. 

They could really do this. They could save their home, their family. 

Tubbo believed it, believed in them, wholeheartedly. He just hoped that would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're heavily in canon-divergence at this point, especially after the last couple of streams, but I had an established plot-line and I just stuck with it. This is somehow longer than the first chapter; I am an over-writer by nature and I get carried away very quickly.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed; let me know if you'd be interested in hearing more from me - I may or may not have some plot-lines planned, but my schedule is a little crammed so I can't establish a firm timeline for any writing (for this or any other stories). Like most writers, though, I run on hot beverages and positive feedback, so knowing that people would be interested in more definitely helps motivate me. 
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new ally approaches, and for once, things are kind of looking up. Tubbo can only hope that it will last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle your seatbelts, everyone, because this one's close to 10K words. I got carried away, I know. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The first time Dream visited, he nearly gave Tubbo a heart attack.

He and Tommy had been up in the meadow, enjoying the sunlight and fresh air for a while. Tubbo was tending to his bees, carefully collecting the honey that they had produced in the past week, while his best friend was lounging in the grass and idly plucking at nearby wildflowers. It was a good day, a picturesque afternoon. These were Tubbo’s favorite days, when the weather was nice and Wilbur was relaxed enough to let them wander without his or Techno’s presence, because they were the days that felt the most like _before_. 

It was hard not to constantly constantly compare _before_ and _after_. With every smile or laugh that the others gave, Tubbo found himself pitting it against that same smile, that same laugh, but from a happier and more peaceful timeline. It was rather depressing and destructive cycle, but it had become habit at this point. 

“How much honey did we get?” Tommy asked, tipping his head back to look at Tubbo from his position on the ground. Tubbo squinted at the bee box, then back at the bottle in his hand.

“I think I can fill up the whole thing this time,” He said. The bees had produced less honey at first, having been understandably rattled by the move and their time in the ender chest, but they seemed to be getting back up to their old efficiency. “I did get this, though.”

He held up a sticky slice of honeycomb, which he had carefully separated from the hive. 

“Oh, sweet!” Tommy rolled over, slipping into a sitting position as he eagerly reached out to take the sweet treat from him. They both shared a sweet-tooth, but honeycombs in particular had always been something they had a mutual fondness for, and held a lot of sentimental value. Even before Tubbo had built the boxes and gathered up his bees, they would steal pieces from wild hives. They had gotten stung for their efforts on more than one occasion, especially before he had mastered using smoke to calm the bees, but it had always been worth it in the end. 

Here,” Tommy said. The blond had broken the slice in half and was holding out the two pieces, waiting for him to chose one. Smiling, Tubbo turned away away from his bee box in favor of sitting down cross-legged beside Tommy and accepting the smaller of the two pieces. He set the bottle down beside him, letting it rest against his knee.

Tommy had already shoved most of his slice into his mouth by the time Tubbo took his first bite, which was pretty typical. When they were younger, his friend would always finish first and go wandering back for more, only to return empty-handed and sporting a couple more angry stings. 

The honey was warm and rich, and the second it hit his tastebuds Tubbo was filled with a rush of nostalgia. 

“All we need is some music, and this would be perfect,” He said, and Tommy hummed in agreement, blue eyes as bright as the sky and shinning with more joy than Tubbo had seen in a while. 

“I’d go get a disc, but that would require moving.” The other boy leaned back onto one elbow as if to illustrate his point, stretching his legs out in front of him. He closed his eyes and stuck his honey-covered fingers into his mouth, likely trying to rid them off their stickiness. “I don’t plan to get up until I have to.”

“You’re so _lazy_ ,” Tubbo teased, flicking a stray pebble at Tommy’s shoulder. It bounced off harmlessly, but he still got a half-shuttered glare for the action.

“I’m not lazy, I’m just tired.” Tommy didn’t specify _why_ he was tired because he didn’t need to, and Tubbo felt a flash of warm, twisted guilt. It had been his stupid nightmare that had woken both of them up late last night, after all, and while he had eventually settled back to sleep himself, he wasn’t awake to make sure Tommy had, too. He’d assumed so, but now he seriously doubted it. 

The same small rock landed squarely in Tubbo’s lap, skimming over his leg, and he glanced back over to see Tommy staring at him, his brow dipped into a slight furrow.

“What?” 

“You’re thinking too much,” Tommy said with a small shake of his head. “I can hear it from here, Tubbo. Cut it out.” 

He patted the grass next to him as an invitation, and Tubbo flopped down next to him so that they were barely touching, hands close enough to brush together. 

They laid there for a while, basking in the sunlight they so often missed out on with the long days they spent in the ravine and watching the clouds pass by. The birds in the distance were quiet, the gentle buzzing of his bees was a soothing, steady noise, and above it all he could listen the rise and fall of Tommy’s breaths beside him. It was easy to count the seconds between each one, easier still to match his own breathing to it, and the practice helped clear his mind and chase away the traces of guilt still lurking in the darkest corners of his mind where it was hardest for him to reach. 

Beneath the peace that was settling over his consciousness, though, one question still burned bright above it all, and eventually he broke their comfortable silence to voice it. 

“What if they never stop?” He asked quietly, tipping his head to rest against Tommy’s shoulder. He was so tired of the nightmares, so tired of waking up in fear night after night, but they had been going on for so long that he was starting to think that they weren’t going to, that they never would, that he would have to live with them forever. 

“They will.” Tommy was always so confident, so sure, but Tubbo just couldn’t find that same certainty on his own, no matter how much he wanted it or needed it. He waited a moment, counting heartbeats like seconds, before speaking once more.

“But what if they don’t?” 

“Then I’ll just have to make ‘em,” Tommy said, and it was clear that he was serious, like he actually believed he could single-handedly stop every bad dream Tubbo ever had. He probably did.

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Tommy,” Tubbo said. He felt Tommy’s huff more than he heard it, the forceful exhale breaking the steady rhythm he had all but memorized. 

“I don’t care.” The retort was firm, final. Tommy was stubborn, but he was loyal, too, and he would go to the end of the earth to keep his promises to those he cared for. “I’ll figure it out.”

And Tubbo trusted him. He always did, whole-heartedly, like he trusted in gravity, like he trusted in sunrise. Tommy had never let him down before, not when it was something serious, something that mattered, and he didn’t have any reason to think that this time would be any different. 

“What was that redstone thingy you were rambling about the other day?” Tommy asked. It was a distraction, a redirect to an easier, lighter topic of conversation, and Tubbo took the offer without hesitation.

“Oh, the super smelter?” He shuffled a little closer, cheek pressed against the other’s shoulder. “Yeah, I really want to upgrade the farm with it. We can harvest really quickly but the cooking isn’t optimal just yet.”

Talking about redstone was as easy as breathing for Tubbo. It was comfortable, safe. Tommy had never taken to redstone, but he always sparked the conversation when it was needed, because he knew that it was something Tubbo could distract himself with for hours if allowed. 

Tommy was doing his best, as always, to act like he was barely listening, like he was not interested, but his occasional interruptions to ask questions and the soft hums that punctuated the ends of Tubbo’s sentences betrayed his focus on the fairly one-sided conversation. Tubbo had never considered himself very good at explaining things, and Tommy was never very good at listening, but when it counted - when the other needed them to get it right - they did, every time. 

He had moved on from the super smelter and was midway through explaining the concept of a logic gate when a sound caught their attention from their right, off in the woods. Tubbo froze, mid-sentence, and he felt Tommy tense beside him. A branch snapped, and Tommy lunged for his sword in a blur of motion, rolling away and onto his knees as Tubbo scrambled for his own weapon. 

Tommy was always the quickest, and so by the time Tubbo managed to get to his sword the other boy was already in a defensive stance, feet spread and shoulders squared, ready to fight.

“Who’s there?” Tommy called, pointing the edge of his blade toward the treeline as he motioned Tubbo closer. The two of them fell into familiar positions, ready to watch each other’s backs no matter what happened. Tubbo’s heartbeat hammered in his chest, but his hands were stiller than they had been in a long time as he leveled his sword.

“It’s just me.” Dream stepped out of the shadows of the trees with open hands in front of him. He was wearing a dark green cloak over his dark armor, the hood hiding most of his dirty-blond hair, and his signature mask was firmly in place. It was the first time Tubbo had seen him since before the election, but he didn’t look too different; a little more weary, perhaps.

“What do you want, Dream?” Tommy wasn’t letting down his guard for a second, and it was hard to blame him. The war had been violent and full of pain - physical and emotional. They had all been so close before, and the conflict had torn apart what had once resembled a family. While they never really _tried_ to kill each other, they didn’t hold back much, either, and there had been more than a few close calls.

Tubbo couldn’t stop thinking back to the duel, even now, at the way Dream’s arrow hit and the split second he spent believing that he had just watched his best friend be killed.

Later that first night, after the others had gone to sleep, Tubbo had wondered if Dream had held back. His aim was impeccable; if he had wanted to strike Tommy through the heart he could have. If he wanted to kill him, he had every chance. They’d thought it lucky that the arrow had gone through Tommy’s shoulder, but Tubbo doubted there was much luck to do with it at all.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Dream said. He was smart enough to stay at the tree line and not push his luck by moving closer. “If that’s what I wanted I wouldn’t have given you any warning.”

Tubbo could believe that, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was on board with trusting him right away. Tommy clearly wasn’t, either.

“Yeah, telling us how you would theoretically go about hurting us isn’t the best defense.”

“George told you I wasn’t on Schlatt’s side, didn’t he?” Dream asked, glancing between the two of them with a frown. “You can trust me.”

“George is still on thin ice, first of all,” Tommy said, shaking his head, “Second, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on our side, either.”

Tubbo stepped up closer to Tommy’s side, placing one hand on his shoulder. He looked at Dream, meeting his eyes through the mask.

“Prove it. Prove we can trust you.” 

Dream paused, his head tilting slightly as if in consideration. After a moment, though, he slowly reached for the crossbow on his back with one hand, moving carefully with one hand still held out to show he was not pulling the weapon out to attack.

“It’s not loaded.” Dream lifted the strap over his head, and turned the weapon over in his hands so that it was aiming at his own chest. He took three steps forward, holding it out to Tommy. “Take it.”

Tubbo felt Tommy tense beneath his palm as the blond slowly lowered his sword. The two shared a long glance - each asking the other without words just how they wanted to do this - if they wanted to risk trusting their former enemy (and long before that, their former _friend_ ). Tommy exhaled, shoulders relaxing, and he closed the distance between them and Dream to accept the offered crossbow. 

It was Dream’s favorite crossbow; as Tommy backed up again, Tubbo could recognize the set of carved runes decorating the length of the wooden limbs that glimmered a soft, mesmerizing purple. The leather of the grip was dyed a dark shade of green, and that in itself was a dead giveaway.

Dream hadn’t stopped at handing over his weapon, either. As soon as Tommy had started pulling away, he reached up to the white mask obscuring his features and shifted it to the side of his head, revealing a face full of freckles and green eyes that were full of sharp intelligence and warmth.

Tubbo hadn’t seen Dream’s face since before the war, since before they had drawn a line in the sand and picked which side to stand on. He had worn it most of the time back then, too, but there were quiet nights and sunlit days in the woods where he wouldn’t bother hiding his face away from them, from his family. 

“Trust me,” Dream said, hands spread wide with a soft smile on his face. “I’m here to help.”

It was hard to argue with that, and they both knew it. This wasn’t the Dream that they had fought with, the Dream that was their enemy, this was the Dream from _before_. The one who had always appeared in their hour of need, when they had gotten in too far over their heads, when they thought they were going to be lost forever in the dark woods or die alone in the depths of a dark cave - this was the Dream that was always there, that always showed up when they needed him the most. 

Tubbo supposed they needed him now, more than ever. 

“Oh, Wilbur’s not going to like this at _all_.” Tommy let out a heavy sigh, sheathing his sword, and gave Dream a nod. “C’mon. We’ll show you inside.”

Tubbo darted back to grab the bottle of honey, and the other two waited at the edge of the treeline for him. He fell into step beside Dream, letting Tommy take the lead back to their base’s entrance.

“Are you doing all right?” Dream asked quietly, glancing over at him as they walked. With his mask pushed aside, Tubbo could clearly see the worried tilt of his brow. “George told me what happened.”

Ahead of them, Tommy’s shoulder’s tensed ever-so-slightly; no one else would have noticed the slight shift in his posture, but it was easy for Tubbo to see. The other boy was listening, careful and still not fully trusting, even if he didn’t glance back.

“I’m okay,” Tubbo said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. The words sounded a little less hollow than they had the last time he’d spoken them, but it still felt like a weak response. “It’s much better out here, at least. ”

Dream nodded.

“That’s good.” He didn’t say much else, so neither of them did, either. The silence wasn’t tense or uncomfortable, though, resting easy on their shoulders as they made their way through the trees. Dream kept a watchful eye out, his hand occasionally straying down to his sword as if he was ready to be attacked at any given moment. The war had left its marks on all of them, after all, and habitual vigilance was hard to unlearn.

“Here we go.” Tommy stopped in front of the steep hillside that hid the entrance to their base. If one were to walk up, unaware of the door’s exact location, they would have no idea it was there - the dirt hid it completely, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the landscape. They were careful to never leave any sign, any evidence that might betray them if the others came looking this far.

Before, they had just covered the door with dirt as best as they could each time they used it, but that was a flawed and time-consuming method of hiding it. After Tubbo had started visiting, though, Techno had helped him gather some slime, and together they painted the door in the sticky substance before thoroughly coating the door in a heavy layer of dirt. It stuck well, and made it easier to quickly hide the entrance, no matter which side of it you were on.

Tommy reached out and grabbed the handle, heaving to pull the heavy door up and open. He held it so that it wouldn’t fall shut, gesturing for the other two to duck inside.

“Nice,” Dream said, pausing before following Tubbo through. “You’ve hidden it really well.”

“We kind of have to.” Tommy jumped down to join them, letting the door fall shut with a soft thud behind him. He wiped his hands off on his jeans, exhaling as he looked up to meet Tubbo’s eyes. “Lead the way.”

There was a request shining behind his gaze, he was asking, not just telling - asking for Tubbo to go first, asking to be last, asking to be behind him so that he could watch his back. Tommy always did his best to watch his back, to protect him. It wasn’t that Tubbo necessarily needed protecting - he had held his own in every fight, every skirmish, and while he was not the best fighter he was not the worst or the weakest - but that Tommy needed to be a protector. It was the best way he knew how to tell his friends and family that he cared, that he loved them - he struggled to spill a single complement but he would let his blood be spilled without a second thought, without hesitation. He was like Techno in that sense, Tubbo supposed, and perhaps that was why Tommy looked up to his older brother so much. 

All Tubbo knew was that Tommy needed this, so he took the lead, starting down the narrow stairwell with Dream a half-step behind him. The echoes in the stone tunnel were louder than they’d like, but it always made it easy to tell when someone was coming in. You could hear it from most places in the ravine. 

Still, Tommy made sure to announce their arrival as soon as they reached the bottom of the steps. 

“Hey, guys? We’ve, uh, got some company!” He gave a nervous laugh, and when Tubbo glanced back he was peering anxiously in the direction of Wilbur’s room. 

Techno appeared only a second or so after Tommy’s words, probably having already been heading in their direction at the sound of people descending into the ravine. He had a basket of potatoes in his hands, but as soon as he saw Dream he set it aside.

“Do I need to stab him, or…?” He was reaching for the nearest weapon, an iron hoe, already. Tubbo shook his head.

“No, he’s fine,” He said. “He’s here to help. Oh, careful on the bridge here.”

There was an extreme lack of railings in their base, which made a couple of the wooden bridges a little more precarious to cross, but so long as you paid attention to where the planks were laid you were fine. Dream, of course, was extremely agile and perceptive, so he did fine.

“It’s been a while, Techno,” Dream said. There was a hint of amusement in his voice. Techno had left the iron hoe within reach, now leaning against the stone wall of the ravine, the basket tucked under one arm.

“Hello.” The greeting was even, steady. Techno was all about patterns: making them, changing them, finding ways to break them. He was unpredictable but always reliable to those who needed to rely on him the most - his brothers, his family. Tubbo wasn’t sure if he fell into that category at all, but if Tommy was calm in the situation - or as calm as he could be, considering Wilbur hadn’t quite yet appeared and he was less likely to welcome Dream into their base - then Techno would be, too. 

That being said, Tubbo watched him track Dream’s movements with a sharp focus as they continued down to the floor. 

Wilbur appeared as they were on the last few steps, emerging from his room with a crease in his brow. His eyes skimmed past Techno and Tubbo before landing on Dream, and he froze. The rest of them did, too. For a heartbeat, it was like time had frozen in the ravine, capturing them all in their current positions.

“What are you doing here?” Wilbur asked, breaking the quiet. He looked tired. He always did, these days, even when he smiled and laughed. Tubbo missed seeing him happy. He knew Tommy did, too, even if the blond would never outright admit it. “How did you get down here? Tommy? Tubbo?”

“I’ve been looking for you for a while,” Dream said, taking the lead before either of the boys were forced to. He moved forward to the edge of the step he was standing on. “I know we’ve been enemies before, but we’ve been friends, too, and I’m on your side in this. Schlatt can’t stay in power. I want to help.”

“Why aren’t you wearing your mask?” 

Dream’s face was still unhidden, as he hadn’t replaced his mask in the duration of their walk. 

“I don’t need it.” Dream brushed his hair away from his face, as if to better show it to the rest of them. Tubbo watched as his fingers twitched against his mask for a moment before he let his hand fall back to his side. He smiled. “I trust you.”

Wilbur stared at him for a while, but Tubbo could tell he wasn’t really watching - there was a careful consideration in his expression, like he was trying to weigh how much he trusted Dream, or rather, how much he trusted that he _could_ be trusted. 

Finally, his gaze shifted to the right.

“What do you think, Tommy?” He asked, because after everything, Tubbo knew that Tommy would alway be Wilbur’s right hand man, not just his little brother. 

Tommy was a little more surprised that his opinion was wanted, because he faltered for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two men. Finally, his expression settled, and he nodded.

“I think we can trust him, Will,” He said, voice full of conviction. “I really do.”

“Okay.” Wilbur let the tension fall from his shoulders, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face as he stared up at Tommy for a moment longer. When he looked back to Dream, the smile didn’t fade. “Okay, then. We’ll take all the help you can give.”

“You don’t happen to have an ender chest, do you?” Dream was grinning, now, and the brightness in his eyes was an infections sort of warmth that left Tubbo smiling, too. His spark of hope was burning brighter and stronger than it had in weeks, and as he watched Dream pass over gleaming Netherite, he wondered what could possibly stop them now.

Later, when the world above was washed over in soft silver as the moon rose high in the above the trees and Dream had disappeared, returning back to wherever he had been hiding the past few weeks, Tubbo found himself sitting on the bed in their room, admiring the crossbow held in his best friend’s hands.

“I can’t believe he just gave it to me,” Tommy said, running his hand along the weapon’s limbs with a reverent awe. When they’d tried to return it, Dream had just given him a wink and told him to hold onto it for a while. “I can’t believe he’s _helping_ us.”

“I can.” Tubbo thought back to the look on Dream’s face when he had first removed his mask, matched it to the same expression George had given him just days before. He thought about how different this conflict was, how much more dangerous and scary and _complicated_ everything had become, and he knew that the war, as awful as it had been, couldn’t compare. The war had been about winning, this was about not losing more than they’d already lost.

Tommy carefully set the crossbow on the table nearest the door before walking over to their bed. Tubbo slid under the covers, scooting over to make room for both of them, and once they were both settled under the layers of blankets Tommy reached for the lantern to shut off the light. 

They were plunged into darkness as soon as the flame was extinguished, and Tubbo’s breath caught in his throat for a half-second, like it always did. Then Tommy was there, throwing an arm over his shoulders and curling closer, having long since given up the pretense that he wasn’t completely and utterly clingy at night, and the tightness in his chest eased. Tubbo took a few slow breaths, tucking his face into his friend’s shoulder, seeking out the extra warmth. It was cold in the ravine at night.

“Tommy?” He murmured, not bothering to open his eyes. Tommy let out a hum to show he was listening, and the blankets rustled lightly. Tubbo exhaled. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too, Tubbo,” Tommy said. His voice was soft, the gentle tone he only used in moments like this, when he felt safe enough to let down his guard and not worry about getting hurt because of it. “It’s you and me, remember? Whatever happens, we’re sticking together from now on.”

It was a promise, and they would both fight to their last breath to keep it.

* * *

It was over a week before Dream showed up next. He gave no notice of where he had gone, or when he would be back, just that he would return eventually. Tommy had muttered something under his breath about Dream being “obnoxiously cryptic” and “dramatic”, which was fair, but none of them were too surprised by it.

The day was stormy, the heavy rainfall audible from the ravine along with the occasional rumble of thunder. It hadn’t started out so dreary, so Tommy and Wilbur had left that morning to go meet with Niki, who had started supplying them with information and baked goods a little while after Tubbo had left Manberg behind. He had only seen her and Eret once since returning, as Wilbur wasn’t exactly trusting just yet and was worried about him going anywhere near Schlatt’s territory. He wasn’t eager, either, but he did miss them. 

When the first rumble of thunder had echoed through the cave, he and Techno had been tending to the farm. Techno had paused, eyes lifting to the cave’s ceiling.

“Well, they won’t be back for a while.” More thunder punctuated his words. “Wilbur’s got enough sense to hunker down ‘til the worst passes.”

“Oh.” Tubbo couldn’t hide his disappointment, his shoulders slumping. He and Tommy had planned to go through the Nether to visit his jungle base that afternoon; they were going to see what supplies they could scrounge up and spend some time out where they could actually play around without worrying about getting caught. 

He dragged the bag of seeds closer, going back to planting. They could go another day. It wasn’t that big of a deal. What bothered him more, really, was not knowing how long it would be before they returned. Being away from Tommy for very long made him anxious and vulnerable, like he was missing a vital part of himself. Part of him knew that it wasn’t the healthiest thing for them to be so dependent on one another. but they would have time to sort out whatever problems they developed after they fixed things. 

Behind him, he heard Techno hum to himself, and a few seconds later a shadow fell over his shoulder. Tubbo glanced up to see the man standing over him.

“C’mon,” Techno said, holding out a hand. “Let’s take a break. I’ve been meanin’ to show you something, anyways.”

Tubbo wiped his dirtied hands off on his stained pants and accepted the offered hand, allowing Techno to effortlessly pull him to his feet. They left their seeds and tools by the entrance, and headed deeper into the ravine, toward the back. Tubbo didn’t come back here often, as there never was much need; their rooms were on the opposite end, tucked away in a corner that was a little harder to find ( _Just in case,_ Wilbur had said. _Just in case we’re attacked at night._ ), and the entrance to the mine and the farm were both in the center. This end had been left untouched, to his knowledge, after they had stripped it of any resources. 

Turns out, that wasn’t quite the case, as Techno led him into a new room. It was carved out into a rough square, well lit by torches burning steadily on the walls, and there was a padded layer of wool - like a carpet, but not - covering most of the floor. 

“What is this?” He asked, glancing to his left to see a rack of wooden swords and leather chest plates lining the nearest wall. 

“Trainin’ room,” Techno said. He dropped down on the bench to their right and patted the seat next to him. “Take off your boots. No shoes on the mat.”

By the time Tubbo had made his way over and started unlacing his boots, Techno had already pulled his off. The knots on his own were tangled, having been tied rather clumsily that morning when he was only half-awake and not in the mood to take his time. He pulled his socks off, too, stuffing them inside his shoes. 

Techno was in the middle of carrying a fairly well put-together training dummy into the center of the mat. He set it down, and looked back to Tubbo.

“Anyone ever show you how to throw a proper punch?” He asked. 

“No, not really. I usually have a sword on me when I need it.” It had become habit to carry one at all times, even before the war, given the number of mobs that they encountered in a day. He’d never really had to fight with his hands, although he could definitely think of a time or two when he had lost his weapon or had it break in his hands - not including the incident with Schlatt. That alone was probably enough reason to learn. “I’m guessing there’s more to it than just hitting as hard as you can.”

Techno let out a small chuckle, shaking his head, and pulled out a roll of white cloth as he walked back over to the bench.

“You could say that.” He dropped down on one knee, which put them almost at eye level. Tubbo was not all that tall; something Tommy liked to remind him on a regular basis. “Let me wrap your hands so you don’t bust them up.”

Tubbo watched patiently, hands held out in front of him, as Techno carefully wound the material around his palms and over the back of his knuckles until they were covered with a thin protective layer. He did it quickly, too, like it was all muscle memory at this point. It probably was.

“You know what a proper fighting stance is, right?” Techno tucked in the end of the wrap, securing it, and motioned him toward the mat. Tubbo nodded.

“Yeah.” He’d learned it a long time ago, when he’d first picked up a sword and learned how vital it was to be good at using it. When he and Tommy had been welcomed into the small community, Dream and Sapnap had both helped him perfect it. Over time, both had taught him new techniques and moves to combat the many dangers of their world; while George had taught him better accuracy with a bow and basic first aid. Tommy had always been a good fighter, having grown up with warriors for older brothers, but he was never the most patient instructor, or student, for that matter, so he never got as much out of the lessons as Tubbo did. 

The war, of course, had taught him a lot more about fighting people instead of mobs. He took the rules that had been drilled into his head and twisted them to use against the very same people who had given them to him in the first place. He pretended not to notice the glint of pride mixing with hurt in their eyes each time he did. 

“Good, then we don’t have to worry about you fallin’ on your face,” Techno said. He reached out and grabbed the training dummy, steadying it with both hands. “The most important thing to remember is to never ever tuck your thumb inside your fist. It’ll hurt real bad, you might break it, and that’ll make it a whole lot harder to hit ‘em a second time. And trust me, if you’ve already gone ahead and hit someone once, you’re gonna want to hit them again.”

He lifted one hand to demonstrate, and Tubbo copied him, curling his thumb around the outside of his knuckles. 

"Good.” Techno nodded, repositioning himself beside the dummy. “Now hit it. Hard as you can.”

Tubbo hesitated and adjusted his stance. Then, after exhaling slowly, he drew back his fist and threw his first punch.

The dummy barely moved at all, and he immediately deflated at the lack of an impact. He’d always known that he wasn’t all that strong, not compared to everyone else, at least, but he had expecting to at least be able to hit a _little_ harder.

Techno chuckled softly again, shaking his head.

“Use you whole body, Tubbo. You don’t swing a sword with just your arms, do you?” He waited until Tubbo answered with a negative hum before continuing. “Same concept. And move your feet. Stepping or pushing off your back food will give you momentum and more power.”

Tubbo nodded, rolling his shoulder slightly as he fixed his stance, going over the advice in his mind once more before winding up another punch. This time when he threw it, he let his shoulders and torso move, too, his whole body pushing into the blow as he slammed his fist against the chest of the training dummy. It rocked back against Techno’s grip, and the warrior grinned at him. Tubbo smiled back, a giddy pride bubbling up in his chest. 

“Good job,” Techno said. The praise warmed him to the tips of his ears. “Let’s do it again.”

The next five or ten minutes were spent just practicing punches, over and over. Techno would interject every now and then with some advice or a gentle nudge to fix his posture, but for the most part he just watched with a half-smile until he was satisfied.

Tubbo expected the impromptu training session to end there, but Techno merely passed him some water and began explaining more hand-to-hand, one move at a time. He explained the parts of your body to hit with if punching wasn’t an option - his elbows, knees, and the heels of his palms, as well as the best parts of his opponent’s body to hit.

“If you don’t have a weapon, get a weapon. If you can’t get a weapon, be a weapon.” 

One thing that Tubbo did note was that every scenario that Techno used to explain each move was defensive. It surprised him, at first - Techno was known for the strength of his offense, a living embodiment of the phrase “a strong offense is the best defense”; he won a lot of fights through the force behind his skill, the way he could just overpower almost anyone he came up against. 

Knowing how to slip out of chokehold or get someone to release their grip on your arm was not something that Tubbo expected to be taught by the man. It made more sense, though, the more he thought about. Techno and Tommy had their share of similarities, after all.

It must have been at least an hour or two later when they finally began to wind down. Techno had gotten him to go over target points to incapacitate an attacker one more time; they had done it enough throughout the lesson that Tubbo could probably recite them in his sleep, which he figured might have been the goal.

Techno had handed him the water flask again and told him to sit tight. He’d reappeared a few moments later with two fresh baked potatoes, which he had presumably started cooking a few minutes earlier when he had disappeared while Tubbo was practicing palm strikes again.

“Here you go,” Techno said, passing him a potato. “It’s hot.”

“Thanks.” Tubbo accepted the potato gratefully and swapped it between hands for a few seconds before he adjusted to the temperature. “And thank you for the training today, too. I really appreciate it.”

“I hope you were payin’ attention, ‘cause we’re doing this again.” Techno settled down on the bench in front of him. Tubbo had opted to just sit on the floor just past the mat. “Training’s not a one-and-done kind of thing, y’know.”

Tubbo laughed in between bites of his steaming potato, but before he could respond, Techno straightened, eyes darting toward the entrance of the training room. A moment later, he heard the sound, too - footsteps on the stairwell. There was only one set, though, and the thunder was definitely still rolling outside the ravine, so it couldn’t be Wilbur and Tommy.

Techno was tense as he stood and moved quietly toward the door, one hand held up to signal Tubbo to wait. 

“Hello? Anyone home?” The voice that called down from the top of the ravine was familiar, and as soon as Tubbo recognized it he exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until then. 

“Down here.” Techno’s posture had relaxed, but he waited in the doorway until Dream picked his way down the ravine to join them.

“Hi.” Tubbo waved a hand in greeting. Dream pushed his mask up into his hair, which was soaking wet like the rest of him. He’d clearly been caught in the downpour for a while, given how much water was dripping from his clothes and collecting in a small puddle on the stone floor.

“Hey, Tubbo.” He got a smile in return, and then Dream wrinkled his nose as thunder rumbled above them once more. “You guys mind if I crash here until the rain lets up? It looks like it might be at least another hour or two.”

“Sure,” Techno said. He shrugged, sitting back down to resume eating his potato. “The furnace is probably still hot if you want some food.”

“Thanks.” Dream ducked back out the way he came, and Tubbo listened as his footsteps receded. 

He hoped that Tommy and Wilbur stayed safe until they were able to get back. If they had been by the outskirts of Manberg, still, then he wasn’t sure if they would have opted to hide in one of the buildings or go find a cave. While it was unlikely Schlatt or the others would do much searching during the storm, it still worried him that there was a potential that they could get caught, and he and Techno would have no idea.

Dream returned with a potato in hand and without his signature green cloak. He wasn’t wearing his chest plate over his black shirt, this time, although he still had on his netherite bracers and his greaves were strapped over his boots. He looked a little less wet, now; the cloak had likely been protecting the rest of his clothes to some extent.

“Where are the other two?” Dream asked. He settled on the floor a foot away from Tubbo, forming a loose triangle between the three of them. 

“They were meeting with Niki,” Tubbo said. “They won’t be back ‘til after the rain stops, I guess.”

Dream hummed, chewing a bite of his potato, and glanced around the room.

“Nice training room.” He nodded at Tubbo’s hands, which were still wrapped with white cloth. “Were you sparring?”

“Nah, just practicin’,” Techno said. He had finished his potato by then, and was stretching from his seat on the bench. “I’m in the mood for it, though, if you are.”

Dream grinned, a wolfish gleam in his green eyes, and for a second Tubbo felt like he’d been transported back to the last time he’d watched the two duel. 

“You’re on.”

It was the same energy, the same playful competitiveness. Soon Tubbo sat cross-legged on the bench, observing in quiet awe as the two sparred, which was always a sight to behold, no matter how many times he’d seen it. Individually they were almost unrivaled in their abilities, but they were such a perfect match in any fight - Techno was stronger, Dream faster, both incredibly intelligent and strategic in every move they made in battle. 

Tubbo could barely keep up just watching. 

Later, when the match was done and the two shake hands, sharing breathless laughs and compliments, Tubbo sat and watched and wondered just how they’d gotten here, so far from the patch-worked family they had made for themselves. 

He wasn’t sure just where they’d gone wrong - one disagreement spiraled too far, they stopped using their words and picked up their swords instead, and now they were in the middle of their second war.

At the end of the day, though, they hadn’t broken every bond just yet. Their bridges were scorched but still standing. No matter how much family fought, they were still _family_. 

Sometime during the duel, the rain stopped. Tubbo perched on the edge of a chest as Dream wrapped his shawl around his shoulders and wished them a good night. Techno teased him about the fight, warned him not to get lost on his way back. It was light and playful, like it always had been. Nothing had changed.

Tubbo sat and watched and wondered - if they won, maybe they could be like this forever. Maybe they could shake away the nightmares and the fear that clung to them like cobwebs and they could rebuild. Maybe they could be _happy_. 

Tommy and Wilbur arrived home not long after Dream had left. They were a little damp, but safe, and later, when they exchanged their day’s stories over dinner and never once did they find reason to frown or fall into the uneasy silence that often accompanied any mention of Manberg or the war, Tubbo suddenly had the feeling that they had a pretty good chance. 

* * *

Dream’s last visit is different. 

Tubbo didn’t have much to compare it to; after the day he’d spent with them during the storm, he had only stopped by briefly once or twice to relay news to Wilbur. One of the times, Tubbo hadn’t even seen him, as he and Tommy had been deep in the Nether, scrounging for more ancient debris in hopes of upgrading more of their armor.

This time, though, he knew something was off as soon as he heard him arrive. Dream must have met Wilbur up at the entrance to the ravine, as the two were descending together, and the low, sharp tones of their voices were a clear red flag. 

Tubbo had been reorganizing their supplies with Tommy, which meant that he was being productive while the other boy mostly just moved things around at random, so both of them had a clear view of the two adults coming down the stairs.

“Something’s wrong,” Tubbo said softly, shooting Tommy a worried glance. There was no denying it upon seeing Wilbur and Dream come around the corner. There was a heavy weight to the latter’s posture, like the whole world had come down to rest on his shoulders, and a dark storm brewed behind his eyes. He was angry, but the quietness of his fury was the most concerning part. Dream usually got loud when he was upset, like Tommy did; this was different and so much worse.

“What’s the matter, big man?” Tommy asked, crossing his arms as Tubbo let the lid of the chest he was working through fall shut. The slam echoed through the ravine, louder than it should have been.

Wilbur sighed, dragging a hand across his face. He looked tired again. More than usual. 

“Dream’s no longer on our side.” There was stunned silence for all of two seconds after this statement, as both boys tried to process it.

“What do you mean?” Tubbo glanced between the two, trying to analyze the frustration in both of their expressions for any hint of an answer. Things had been going so well for them. 

“Dream?” Tommy’s voice was hard, but Tubbo could hear the hurt in it. They’d been betrayed too many times, and somehow it never stopped feeling so awful.

“Don’t phrase it like that, Will,” Dream said. He pushed his mask a little higher on his head as his frown deepened. “This isn’t my choice, and you know it. I still want to help.”

“And how do you plan to do that if you’re with Schlatt?” Wilbur demanded. “If you’re not with us Dream, then you might as well be against us. I never should have trusted you.”

“I don’t have any other options!” Now Dream was getting louder, turning to face Wilbur with heat in his voice as he closed the distance between the two. “I get that you’re angry and that’s fine, but don’t turn on me when this isn’t my fault!”

“The first rule of ultimatums is that you _don’t give into them_ , Dream.” Wilbur stepped closer, shoulders back as he glared down at Dream. His hands were curled into tight fists at his side, but Tubbo was pretty sure he wouldn’t start a fight. Will had always been an advocate for talking; he wasn’t a fighter by nature, not in the way that Techno or Tommy were. “How do you know he isn’t bluffing? Did he give you any proof or did you just accept every word out of his lying mouth?”

“It doesn’t matter if he gave me proof or not; I can’t risk it, Will, and you can’t tell me that you would do anything different if you were in my position, so-”

“I wouldn’t just give in at the drop of a hat!” Wilbur interrupted, steam-rolling right over the rest of Dream’s words. Tubbo really wanted them to stop yelling, to stop fighting, but he doubted he’d be able to get a word in. Even Tommy was just watching, wide-eyed with disbelief. “I don’t have a lot left going for me, but at least I still have a spine!”

“What if it was Tommy or Tubbo, Will?” Dream asked. His volume had dropped, his tone losing all of its rough edges as he sent a glance in their direction. Wilbur followed it, and Tubbo watched the anger melt from his posture. “You’re telling me you would take that chance?”

“I-” Wilbur shook his head, dropping his gaze to the floor. He let out a long sigh, reaching up to push his hair out of his face. 

“What’s goin’ on? I heard a lot of shouting.” Techno’s steady drawl came from behind Tubbo, and he glanced back to see the final resident of the ravine standing there, a small frown on his face. “Will? Dream?”

“Just - I need some air,” Will said. He waved a hand at Dream as he turned for the staircase. “Explain it to them, please. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

They watched him go in tense silence, the sound of his footsteps on the stone the only sound to break the suffocating silence. Tubbo didn’t know what was going on but he knew it was wrong, it was so very wrong, and he just wanted to know. 

Tommy was getting restless with being kept out of the loop, too, but he was always the more impatient of the two of them.

“What on earth was that about?” He asked. Dream sighed again. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked like he wanted to just curl in on himself and disappear. 

“Schlatt’s forcing my hand. Not just me, really - he’s dragging Sapnap and the others into this, too,” Dream added, his scowl returning at the mention of his friends. Most of them had stayed purposefully neutral in all of this, doing their best to just live their lives in peace. “He’s blackmailing all of us to side with him.”

“He did somethin’ to George, didn’t he?” Techno asked. Tubbo’s heart dropped as Dream nodded, but it was the only thing that made sense. The only way Schlatt, or anyone else, could get the warrior to do something against his will was by threatening those he cared about.

“He went missing a couple days ago, as far as we can tell,” Dream said. “I’ve been keeping my distance, but George would usually crash at Sapnap’s place at night and I would check in a couple times a week. When I stopped by this morning, Sapnap said he hadn’t seen him lately, and we confronted Schlatt.”

“I’m guessing he gloated.” 

Dream let out a bitter laugh, and his eyes were shiny in the light of the lanterns. Tubbo wanted to cry a little, too, because part of him couldn’t help but wonder if this was at least partially his fault. 

“Yeah, he did. We searched around and everything, but Schlatt’s smart. We don’t know where he is or if he’s hurt, and we just have to trust that he’s still _alive_.” Dream choked out the last word as he sank down onto an outcrop of rock behind him, letting his head fall into his hands. “Sapnap and I spent all day searching, but there’s no trail to follow.”

“You think there’s any chance Schlatt could be…persuaded?” Techno’s voice had taken on a dangerous edge, his words entirely unsubtle. Tubbo felt like he should probably be at least a little concerned at how quickly the man’s mind went to torture, but he was a little too busy trying not to think about the dark cell he had been trapped in - the same kind of cell that George might be in at that same moment. 

“No.” Dream didn’t look up. “Trust me, we made plenty of threats, but he promised he was willing to die without telling us where, and I believe him. He said he left plenty of food and water for one week, which means we would have up to three because George knows how to ration, but we can’t guarantee that would be enough time.”

Tubbo really hoped that wherever George was, it was nothing like his cell, because he couldn’t imagine spending weeks in that box, no matter how much food and water he might have. There would be no way to keep track of time and tell how many days had passed by. He shuddered just thinking about it. 

“As much as I hate to say it, I get,” Tommy said quietly. Tubbo looked over to see the resigned look on his best friend’s face, but there was sympathy there, too. “This really sucks for us but if you didn’t have a choice, you didn’t have a choice. What happens now?”

Dream sat up a little straighter, looking Tommy in the eyes with a far-off expression for a moment, the closest thing Tubbo had seen so far to a smile flashing across his face for a moment. Then it was gone, and he was taking a deep breath as if to collect his thoughts.

“We’re going to stall as long as possible,” Dream said, a little bit of the fire returning. “I don’t think Schlatt knows that I’ve been visiting, and I’m not planning on telling him. We’ll keep searching for George whenever we can, and hopefully we can find him before Schlatt gets impatient.”

No one asked what would happen if they didn’t. No one needed to.

Tubbo suddenly felt overwhelmed, as if the weight of everything he’d just heard was finally registering, and he quickly excused himself as the conversation started to turn more tactical. He could hear Tommy falter as he started up the steps like the blond had made to follow. When he glanced back though, halfway up the staircase, Tommy was by Techno’s side as his older brother began discussing potential search patterns with Dream.

All he needed was some space, and that was hard to get in the ravine. It was small and sound always carried farther than you wanted it to. 

He slipped out the front door, taking in the fresh air as his eyes adjusted to the outdoors and then stumbled his way up the hill overlooking the entrance. It was until he saw a familiar figure sitting on the crest of the ridge that he remembered whom had headed this way just minutes before. 

Before he could consider whether or not he wanted the company, Wilbur twisted to look over his shoulder. 

“Hey, Tubbo.” He had cooled off in the time he’d been absent, given the soft smile. “The sun’s setting. Come sit.”

Tubbo walked up and sank down into the soft grass next to Wilbur, and when the elder wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in closer, he let him. It was cooler out with the sunlight fading, and he was more than happy for the warmth.

“I miss this,” Wilbur said after a moment. “The quiet. We haven’t had enough of it lately. It’s peaceful.”

Tubbo hummed in agreement. None of them had been able to enjoy the quiet in a long time.

“I’m sorry for all of this.” 

“Why?” Tubbo asked, shifting to peer up at Wilbur without moving away. 

“I never should have dragged you and Tommy so deep into this mess. I know you both wanted to help, but you’re still just kids, Tubbo. You should be having fun, not living day-to-day fearing for your lives.” There was something about Wilbur’s tone that told Tubbo that he’d been thinking about this for a long time. There was probably some valid logic to it - at the end of the day, no matter how much Tommy liked to protest it, they really were kids, and maybe wars were not something they should be involved in. 

Still, he wasn’t sure if he would honestly go back and change things given the chance. Maybe he would take away some of the pain and fear, but they had done so much and come so far.

“I don’t blame you for any of it, Will, but if it makes you feel better to hear it, I forgive you,” Tubbo said. He curled a little further into Wilbur’s side, pressing his cheek against his friend’s shoulder. “And I know that you don’t really blame Dream for siding with Schlatt, either.”

“No, I don’t.” Wilbur shook his head. “Schlatt knew what Dream’s weakness was and he exploited it. Honestly, I probably should have seen it coming.”

Tubbo didn’t know what to say to that. He chewed on his lip for a moment, trying to weigh whether or not he dared to voice the next thought that burned in his mind. He didn’t want to give into the doubt plaguing him, because he knew the answer, but after everything he needed to know for sure. If he didn’t ask now he never would, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to sleep without knowing. 

“Before you left,” Tubbo began, slowly, unsure, “Dream asked if you would take that chance if it was one of us. You didn’t answer him.”

Wilbur stiffened, and his breath audibly caught in his throat. He pulled away and both of his hands found Tubbo’s shoulders. 

“Tubbo, look at me.” Wilbur ducked his head a little to better meet Tubbo’s gaze. His eyebrows were furrowed and the pale light of sunset softened all the sharp lines of his face, almost erasing all the stress and tension he normally carried. “I would never, _ever_ do _anything_ to put you or Tommy in harm’s way, I swear. You’re family, _both of you_ , and there is nothing in this entire world that Schlatt or anyone else could offer me that could possibly come close to that. I love our home and I am going to fight until my last breath for it - but our home is more than just the land that those walls used to protect. It’s in here.”

He tapped Tubbo’s chest, just above where his heart would be, and gently knocked his knuckles against the underside of his chin.

“The thing that made L’Manberg special was its people, Tubbo,” Wilbur said. He was smiling, then, as he looked back out to the setting sun. “That’s never going to change.”

Tubbo believed him. Wilbur never made false-promises or told half-truths, not when it counted. He was honest, sometimes even when he shouldn’t be, and he had never given any of them a reason to doubt his word or reconsider the trust and faith they placed in him.

He didn’t dig deeper into the part of the question that went unanswered - why Wilbur hadn’t answered Dream when he’d first been asked. He didn’t need to. It didn’t matter that Wilbur had been colder and more distant recently ( _the war had left its mark on all of them_ ), because at the end of the day, this was still their Wilbur. 

“What are we going to do now?” He asked instead. Wilbur laughed, light-hearted for once, and drew Tubbo back into his side with a gentle tug. 

“Right now, we’re going to watch the sunset.” He nodded toward where the sky was shifting from blue into shades of pink and orange. “The rest can wait until morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Schlatt had to get some more allies somehow, right?
> 
> All I'm saying is that if Minecraft mechanics made holding hostages possible, they would have done it more than once by now - they've joked about it on several occasions. 
> 
> I mentioned after the first chapter that I had potential companion pieces for this AU, and one of them would focus on the Dream Team's side of this story - mostly from Sapnap's POV, and I would like to explore that whenever I get to the end of this fic.
> 
> I only have two more chapters planned, although both will probably be the same length that these have been, if not longer - I seem to be adding at least a thousand words each time. 
> 
> My favorite thing in writing this chapter was digging into Tubbo's relationships with the others three (and Dream, but that's a different matter).  
> His friendship with Tommy is a heavy focus throughout this fic. They're best friends, and they are not going to be separated again.  
> Techno honestly gets along really well with Tubbo on the SMP, and I really love their dynamic. It parallel's Techno and Tommy's friendship in a lot of ways, but the brand of chaos is different.  
> Wilbur and Tubbo are really close, too (let's be real, all of SBI have pretty much adopted Tubbo in the same way they did Tommy at this point), which is something that I feel doesn't get explored quite as much. Wilbur will live and die for both of his pseudo little brothers.  
> And, as much as I'm enjoying his corruption arc on the SMP, I'm having a good time digging into his character in a universe in which he does not go off the deep end. It's my canon, I can decided on how the family dynamics pan out.
> 
> Anyways, rambling aside, we've got two chapters left. Expect the updates to be as sporadic and irregular as always; college is college, and it takes a little more priority.  
> Hopefully I can finish this before the arc on the SMP is over, but we'll get there when we get there.
> 
> Please feel free to comment down below with any questions and thoughts you have - I really love hearing y'all's feedback, and I'm 100% serious when I say it really keeps me motivated.  
> Thank you all so much for all the love you have shown this fic so far. It means the world to me. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things had never looked more dire. With their alliances compromised by Schlatt's manipulation and their supplies becoming more sparse by the day as winter creeps closer, their situation couldn't get much worse. Tubbo could only hope that they find a way to make things work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer to finish then I wanted, but here we are! As a treat (and as a result of my madness), this chapter's a fair bit lengthier than the others, so hopefully that makes up for the wait. ;)
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy, and feel free to drop any questions or comments down below; I do my best to answer as many as possible, because I really appreciate the effort that feedback takes to give. <3

The ravine had never been colder. 

Outside, the world was shifting. The seasons were changing, the trees drifting from green into soft shades of red and gold, one leaf at a time. The days were still warm enough and the sun still soaked into their skin when they dared to emerge from hiding, but the temperature was sinking day-by-day, and so the chill that usual filled the cave they called home deepened, too. Nights were far chillier, and they just kept getting longer. Tubbo wasn’t sure how the others faired at night, but he and Tommy just added another blanket to their pile and curled a little closer.

It wasn’t just the weather, though; something had shifted in the atmosphere ever since Dream had left them. Sometimes it felt like all of the warmth was being drained from the ravine - all of the life, all of the hope. Things had never looked worse for them, and it was taking its toll. 

Wilbur had always looked tired before, but now he looked weary 24/7, like he wasn’t sleeping at all anymore, or if he was it was never the restful kind. His posture had lost the strength and pride that he always used to carry, and there was a distance to him that there had never been before, like he was drifting away. Tubbo wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but more often than not Wilbur would disappear into the mines or his room for hours on end alone. Talking to him was hard. Getting him to listen, _really_ _listen_ , was harder. He was far more paranoid, too, laying out an entirely new set of rules, and he made it clear that he intent on keeping them. 

Tommy, on the other hand, was quieter. More subdued. His energy was still there, and he still laughed and made the same jokes he always made, but there was a seriousness in him that had been clearly shaped and molded by the war. Tubbo knew that they had both done a lot of growing up during the conflict - it had left its marks on everyone - but the election had been a catalysis to an entirely different shift in Tommy. He was better at watching, better at listening. He would probably never be particular patient, but he was more willing to wait for the right moment than he ever had been before. 

He’d opened up more, too. They had reached a certain solidarity in sharing their room at night. Anything admitted in the cover of darkness, between nightmares or before sleep first took hold, was kept between the two of them. They had always been open and honest with each other, but they never kept secrets anymore. Tubbo would spill out tangled explanations of his nightmares and Tommy would share the worries he kept hidden from his brothers. 

(“ _I’m worried about Will,” Tommy said. Tubbo could only hum in agreement. “I think he’s spiraling or somethin’. I don’t know how to help ‘cause he won’t talk to anyone.”_

_“Have you talked to_ _Philza_ _?” Tubbo had asked. He felt Tommy’s shoulder tense beneath him at the mention of the eldest’s name, and that was answer enough. He sighed. “I know you’ve been trying to avoid pulling him into this, but maybe you should send him a letter. He’d know what to do.”_

_“It’s bad enough I got Techno involved, I’m not dragging him into this mess, too.”_

_Tubbo didn’t think Techno minded, and he knew Phil wouldn’t either. He didn’t say this, though, because they’d had this conversation already. Tommy was sometimes too stubborn for his own good, and so hashing it out over and over was pointless and kind of exhausting._

_“What happens if we lose?” Tommy whispered into the darkness a few moments later. It was an admission more than anything, because it was a question they had all been asking themselves without ever daring to speak it aloud. It haunted them, clinging to the tail end of their thoughts and lurking in the shadows. It was a possibility they had to consider, but it was one they couldn’t afford._

_Tubbo stayed silent. He didn’t know the answer. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to._ )

Techno was the only one who hadn’t changed too much. He was steady as always, which meant he was an anchor for both Tubbo and Tommy in the midst of all the stress and turmoil. For a self-proclaimed anarchist, he was incredibly reliable, and so they leaned on him whenever they needed to. Despite all of Tommy’s talk, they were both still kids. They were sixteen, and the stuff they had been through and were currently dealing with was sometimes overwhelming. Sometimes they needed an adult, and Techno filled that role with relative ease.

Techno’s lessons had become a constant, too, and they were helpful for a number of reasons. Tubbo felt like he was really improving, which was good, because it was one of the only things that really made him feel safe these days. With each lesson, he slowly became more confident that the next time he found himself weaponless he wouldn’t be completely defenseless; he could protect himself, and maybe his family, too, if they needed it. He’d always feel more secure with armor on and a sword in hand, of course. He didn’t plan on going without anytime soon. 

Sparring was also a good way to destress in general, and there was always plenty of stress to deal with these days. Tommy joined them from time to time, too, although most of the lessons were kept largely between just Tubbo and Techno. It was their thing in the same way that the farm was; it was a quiet escape, and after everything, sometimes he really enjoyed a few moments of peace. 

Plus, he liked Techno. He was a good listener, and he always answered his questions with honesty, no matter what they were. 

One afternoon when they were winding down from a session, Tubbo had glanced over from where he was sprawled out on his back. Techno was sitting with his legs folded, sipping water from his canteen.

“Thanks,” Tubbo had said, quietly. Techno drew his arm across his face, wiping away water and sweat with his sleeve, and set the canteen down as he met his gaze.

“What for? The lessons?” Techno let out a small huff of laughter and shook his head. “I mean, someone had to teach you, and I’m really not sure if Wilbur knows how to punch someone.”

He did, actually; Tubbo had seen him punch someone before with a surprising amount of force for someone who wasn’t much of a fighter. He didn’t mention it, though, as he replied to the first question.

“For the lessons and everything else,” Tubbo responded. When Techno just raised a brow, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and elaborated. “For coming to help us when Tommy asked. For staying despite how awful everything is for us right now.”

“You’re family.” It’s short and simple, but Techno lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug like that was all the explanation anyone could possibly need. It took Tubbo a moment to realize that he had been included in that “you”, and he couldn’t help but smile as Techno continued. “As long as you need me, I’ll be here. Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Tubbo’s smile deepened into a grin. He watched as Techno climbed to his feet and offered out a hand, nodding toward the training room’s entrance.

“C’mon,” Techno said, pulling Tubbo to his feet. “Let’s get cleaned up and see if the other two have figured out how the oven works.”

Wilbur and Tommy were both bickering over dinner when they joined them in the main section of the ravine. The elder of the two seemed like he was actually trying to put together a semi-decent meal, while the younger was simply feeding coal into the furnace and teasing his brother about his lack of cooking ability. To be fair to Wilbur, they didn’t have the best set up for making food; they didn’t have a real kitchen, just a stove and a makeshift counter made from a flat slab of stone. The super-smelter wasn’t fully operating, so that was all they had, and none of them had bothered to attempt building a table yet, either. Usually they just sat in a circle on the floor of the ravine, although Techno had claimed one of the outcropping rocks as his “chair” a while back.

Tommy glanced up at the sound of their footsteps and grinned.

“Hey, guys.” At his greeting, Wilbur glanced up, too, and gave them a smile, too - albeit one that was a little more strained. It met his eyes, still, but not in the way it used to. 

“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes or so, if you want to get cleaned up,” Wilbur said. Techno nodded, and didn’t hesitate to head toward his room to presumably change. Tubbo, on the other hand, was ready to be clean, and so he headed further into the ravine, pausing briefly at his and Tommy’s room to grab a change of clothes. 

Before Tubbo had moved in, the others had two methods of bathing. The first was to simply go out to the nearby river, which worked but was not the best when you were trying to stay hidden and people were actively looking for you. The second was collecting the very cold spring water that flowed throw the cave system in buckets and using that in a hallowed-out stone tub. Neither of which were particularly appealing, especially as the weather grew colder.

After hearing Tommy complain one too many times about the frigid water, and suffering through it enough himself, Tubbo had taken a break from working on the farm to rig a better system. He’d sectioned off the part of the cave that the stream ran through and dug out a channel so that the water could be siphoned directly from it into the tub. Techno had been kind enough to collect some extra netherrack for him during a trip into the Nether. The ever-burning volcanic rock was carefully layered beneath the tub, leaving a few side gaps for air to fuel the flames.

Filling the tub was easy enough, and the water warmed fairly quickly. Emptying it was even easier; one flick of a lever and it would all drain out the side, leaving the tub ready for the next use.

Wilbur had been elated when Tubbo had first shown him the finished product, and Tommy had claimed the first (very long) bath. Techno had expressed his gratitude in his typical nonchalant way, although he had been the only one to never complain about the cold before. 

The best part about it was probably how comforting the hot water was for their sore muscles. They were almost always sore in the ravine, between mining, training, and all the other chores they did every day. 

Tubbo had to resist the temptation to just stay in the water forever, letting the warmth wash away the slight ache in his shoulders and arms. He was used to it at this point - at least, to some degree - and it was a lot better here than it had been back in Manberg, under Schlatt’s rule. The water still felt nice. It chased away the cold, and he knew as soon as he got out he would be hit with it once again.

Dinner was nearly done, though, and he didn’t want to make the others wait.

With a sigh, Tubbo hauled himself out of the water, reaching for one of the few towels that Niki had smuggled them earlier on. It was soft, but he was already beginning to shiver in the open air, so he dried off as quickly as he could before wrestling on his clean clothes. By the time he gotten dressed, opened the drain, dropped off his laundry in the corner of his room, and made his way back out to the others, he had warmed up for the most part. Drying his hair had helped a lot, since it was no longer dripping onto his neck. 

Wilbur was separating their food onto plates when he made his way back over to the furnaces, and Tubbo took his usual spot on the floor next to Tommy to wait. Techno was already there, lounging against the wall as he sharpened his diamond axe.

“This is the last of the beef,” Wilbur said, glancing back at the eldest with a frown, his eyebrows furrowed as he moved to pass Tommy his plate. 

“We can go huntin’ in the morning.” Techno set aside his axe to grab his own plate, and Tubbo knew they would be calling it an early night, then. 

The didn’t leave the ravine as often, anymore. That was one of the new rules. When they did leave, it was never in full daylight - the left at the edge of dusk or the start of dawn. They only left when they needed to. So far, they hadn’t even dared to venture back to visit with Niki and Eret because of how risky it would be to go anywhere near Manberg. Tubbo missed them both, but he understoodthe danger.

When they did go hunting or foraging, it was always extremely early, and usually the three of them would go together to get as much as possible while Wilbur stayed back at the ravine. That was another one of the rules - they always had someone in the ravine at all times, just in case it was discovered while they were out. 

They’d had to start hunting not long after Dream had left them; it was more dangerous to visit the others, and so he had been their main source for supplies, which included a steady supply of meat and occasionally baked goods from Niki. As much as the potato farm provided for them, they couldn’t live entirely off of potatoes. Not that Tubbo really wanted to, if he was being honest, but they needed protein, especially him and Tommy. While he was pretty sure it would be a while before he hit another growth spurt, Tommy wouldn’t _stop_ growing, and both of them did enough running and climbing within the mines and caves to require a little more food than the adults. 

Both Wilbur and Techno knew this, of course, and Tubbo could tell it worried them. He could see it in the tense glances that were sent their way every time either adult rationed out their chicken or beef. Tubbo pretended not to notice when Wilbur sacrificed most of his portion to him and Tommy (he’d argued about it, once, but at the end of the day it was never an argument he could win). He wasn’t sure if Tommy knew, but he suspected so. The blond was more observant than people gave him credit for. 

Techno showed his worry in different ways, like how always pushed his luck in staying out a little longer and straying a little farther on mornings when they were unable to find anything close to home. He couldn’t afford to sacrifice in the same ways Wilbur did; he did too much work for that to be worth it, and they relied too much on his strength; but he sacrificed his sleep and time instead, working tirelessly to make sure that they were taken care of. 

“D’you think we could find any sweet berries?” Tommy asked. His mouth was half-full as he chewed a bite of beef, and Tubbo wrinkled his nose.

“Swallow your food, you gremlin.” Wilbur shook his head in exasperation, flicking a pebble across the cave floor at his brother’s knee. “You’re going to choke.”

“No, I won’t.”

“I think we might find some,” Tubbo said, before the oncoming argument could escalate further. Tommy perked up at that. Both of them had a soft spot for sugary foods, and since they couldn’t visit Niki’s bakery and their honey supplies were limited, sweet berries were often the best option they had. “They’re still in season, and I know there’s some bushes around here.”

“Probably find some rabbits, too.” Techno let out a soft hum, sending a glance at the axe resting next to him. “I need to set up some snares at some point.”

Tommy was making a face, again. Tubbo knew he had very strong opinions about rabbit meat - not that he blamed him, because it wasn’t the best meat in the world - but neither of them would voice those opinions these days. They took whatever they could get, and they didn’t complain about it. The war had taught a lot of hard-earned lessons. Exile had perfected them.

_Be dependable but self-reliant. Fight to live, not to win. Trust your allies with your life but never let your guard down. Always know your escape routes - never be afraid to use them._

Now, though, as Tubbo sat and watched Wilbur out of the corner of his eye, ( _Wilbur, who had always learned the lessons the best, Wilbur, who had given everything he had and still came up short, in the end_ ) he wondered how hard it would be to unlearn all of it. Paranoia was not a personality trait but it was hard-wired into all of their minds, now; Tubbo wasn’t sure if they would ever stop being suspicious of their own shadows, distrusting of every move made by those outside of their small circle of trust. 

They had allies, still, even with Dream’s new predicament, but he wasn’t sure if Wilbur would trust them enough to reach out to them, no matter how much help they needed. They’d stopped meeting with Niki and Eret, and if they started to again it was doubtful the latter of the two would be welcomed to said meetings. The scars that betrayal left behind ran deep, deeper still when it came from someone you trusted, someone you called _friend_ , and Tubbo knew he was alone in his forgiveness of past hurts.

Still, when he finished his portion of steak and found himself still yearning for more, guilt gnawing at him at the knowledge that even with twice what Wilbur got he wasn’t satisfied, he couldn’t help but want to appeal to the others to try trusting once again. He thought of Eret, who had done nothing but _give_ without asking for anything in return since the war had ended, who had never once asked for forgiveness, only a chance to prove himself again. He thought of their old ally’s castle, of the ample supplies that he knew were in there, which Eret had offered them time and time again with a warm smile and open hands. Tubbo knew they could trust him, and they needed to, but - 

Tubbo remembered that dark room, too. The single button placed so precisely in the center. He remembered the sharp twist in the atmosphere as the trap was sprung, remembered the way his heart had hammered in his throat and the way he had felt like nothing more than prey as Tommy had grabbed him by the arm and all but dragged him back to safety, back to their home. He remembered helping Fundy patch up their wounds and pretending that they were the worst thing that hurt. He remembered the sharp sting of betrayal and the way it lingered. Worse still, the heartache of losing a friend, of losing faith with someone he’d trusted with his life; it wouldn’t go away.

Tubbo remembered what Eret did. He remembered the way it had nearly destroyed them, and he knew that until they were out of options, Wilbur and Tommy would not reconsider their firm distrust, and he couldn’t blame them. 

He kept his thoughts to himself, for now. Instead, he fell into the easy flow of conversation and let himself be distracted from remembering the war or the betrayal. 

They were fine for now. When they needed to ask for help, they would.

* * *

Tubbo had mixed feelings about hunting. 

On one hand, he liked the adventure of it. Going out into the woods was a breath of fresh air and a welcome break from the steady darkness of the underground. He liked spending time on the surface, slipping carefully through the trees behind Techno as they looked for tracks in the soft dirt and watched for movement in the distant bushes. There was something about multitasking between watching where he stepped to avoid making noise and remaining vigilant for any animals - or mobs, for that matter, considering the sun wasn’t fully risen - that was exciting. Fun, even. 

On the other hand, he wasn’t fond of having to actually shoot things when it came down to it. Killing animals was never enjoyable, no matter how much they needed it. He knew that, of course, and he understood that it was a necessary evil, but he struggled to push past his hesitance when needed. Tommy was better at that part, although he was not very patient with everything leading up to the kill. Tubbo could tell that he didn’t like killing them either, of course, but he could swallow his reservations and do what needed to be done. 

Not that it fell upon either of them too often; unless they killed it with the first shot, Techno was usually the one to put the animal out of its misery. Tubbo was always grateful when he did.

The morning was cold, much like the ravine. A low fog was still lingering, thick and heavy. It would be washed away by the sunlight sooner or later, but considering how early they had set out, Tubbo knew they would be dealing with it during most of their expedition. 

Techno had taken the lead, as always. He wasn’t wearing his signature crimson cape; although it was cool (and honestly very soft and warm; Tommy had stolen it more than once on particularly cold nights to add to their pile of blankets. Techno reclaimed it each time with a huff and a shake of his head, but he never told him to stop), it was a little too flashy for hunting. Instead, he had donned a darker gray-brown cloak that blended into their surroundings a lot better.

Tubbo pulled the collar of his coat up higher around his neck, trying to block out the cold as he shifted closer toward Tommy. The blond was shivering when their shoulders brushed, even with his own coat on, and he looked a lot more miserable to be out in the dreary weather. 

They couldn’t see that far around them which made finding prey before they scared it off that much harder, and even though they had been out for nearly an hour they had yet to catch a single thing. The only sign of life they had seen was a single rabbit, but it had darted between the bushes before they could even register that they had stumbled across it.

It wasn’t necessarily that they had over-hunted the surrounding area, although they had probably done a little too much killing without helping the population along; the fighting was mostly to blame. The fires, explosions, and chaos that they had unleashed upon the land had driven a lot of the wildlife further away. Tubbo understood that just fine. There were moments when he also wanted to just run as far and as fast away as he could, but he had a little more attachment to the people and the place than the animals did. He couldn’t leave now; deep down he know he didn’t _really_ want to, either. This was his home. 

They were walking alongside a dried up creek, following the natural trail through the overgrown forest. Everything was still and quiet, which was why it was so easy to hear the crack of a branch up ahead of them. Tubbo perked up at the sound as Techno paused in front of him. For a moment, all three of them held their breaths as they tried to peer through the fog and identify its source, and then a second sound filtered through the woods.

Voices. 

Techno spun on his heel, still calm and calculated but sporting a half-frown that Tubbo had come to know as _worry_ , and rapidly nudged both of them down the incline of the bank, motioning for them to stay silent. Tubbo slid down the side and pressed close to the ground as Techno dropped down between him and Tommy. 

Once upon a time, Tubbo probably would have wrinkled his nose and complained at the cold mud that was now slowly soaking into his clothes as he leaned into the bank, but he’d grown used to being covered in dirt, grime, and even blood, so he ignored it to the best of his ability and focused on staying quiet as the voices drew closer.

He recognized Bad’s voice before he could make out the words themselves; the hybrid’s distinct cadence carrying through the trees to reach them, growing clearer by the second. The second voice took him a moment longer to place.

“—freezing, Bad, we should just head back home and tell ‘em we didn’t find anything.” That was Skeppy, complaining quite loudly for someone who Tubbo assumed was searching for them. Then again, subtlety had never been Skeppy’s strong suit.

“You didn’t have to come with me, y’know,” Bad said. “Schlatt hasn’t even talked to you yet, has he?”

“No, but I was bored.”

Tubbo wanted to peek over the edge to see how far they were, but they sounded too close to do so without being seen. The moment he even shifted to get into a more comfortable position, Techno tensed beside him, and the hand resting on Tubbo’s shoulder tightened, ever so slightly. Not enough to be uncomfortable or hurt, of course (if there was one thing that he was sure of, it was that Techno would never intentionally hurt him); it was just enough to send a silent message, a warning: _stay down, stay silent, do not be seen, do not get caught._

Techno was coiled, ready to spring out at the first sign that they had been spotted, but they couldn’t afford a fight. Normally, they would have attacked already; after all, it was three against two, and they had Techno with them, who could take on both of them without needing assistance from either of the teenagers. There were two things stopping them. 

First of all, they weren’t wearing their good armor. They didn’t wear any plated armor when they were out hunting because it was difficult to be silent in it - not to mention how uncomfortable it was in the cold. Instead, Techno was wearing a simple leather chest plate and bracers, and both Tubbo and Tommy went without, trusting the eldest to watch their backs. They hadn’t had any reason to worry, until now; if they got into a fight, there was always the chance that Skeppy or Bad could get in a good hit on one of them, and Techno probably wasn’t willing to take that chance. 

Second, they were still dangerously close to the ravine. They were far enough that Tubbo wasn’t worried about the two stumbling across the base just yet, if they revealed that they were here it would immediately decrease the search radius. The best thing they had going for them was that Schlatt had no idea which direction they had gone or how far. They couldn’t afford to be seen. 

“I thought you, like, knew where it was already?” Skeppy asked. Tubbo’s heart caught in his throat at that, and Techno shifted beside him, slowly lifting his loaded crossbow. On Techno’s other side, he could just make out Tommy, who was curled in a similar position to him against the cold, muddy bank and holding his sword low at his side. 

“Maybe.” Bad’s reply was hesitant. “I mean, no. No, I don’t.”

It was a lie, and even Tubbo knew it. When had Bad discovered them? He hadn’t seen him since the election, really, since he didn’t stray close to the mansion the two friends had built. None of the others had seen him, either, or they surely would have mentioned it. 

_Did Dream tell him_? Tubbo wasn’t sure if Dream would risk that, even if the two were close; it had sounded like he was going to do his best to keep their location a secret for as long as possible. 

“If you know where they are, why don’t you just tell Schlatt so he’ll get off everyone’s back about it?” 

“Because that’s not part of the plan.” It sounded like the two had stopped, given the lack of footsteps and the fact that their voices were coming from the same spot. 

“What plan?”

“Skeppy, you were _at_ the meeting when we _made the plan_.” Bad huffed in exasperation, and Tubbo could picture him shaking his head, his arms folded across his chest. He and Tommy had been on the receiving end of that exact tone too many times. “We’re trying to stall, remember? The more time Schlatt spends looking, the more time we have to try to find George.”

There was a pause, then, and a moment later soft footsteps started up once more, heading further into the wood.

“How are Dream and Sapnap holding up?” Skeppy’s voice was softer, and not just from the slowly increasing distance. There was a gentleness to his tone that Tubbo had never heard before. 

Bad’s sigh was almost lost to the fog.

“As well as they can,” He said. The next words were too distant to make out, no matter how much Tubbo strained to hear them. He tried his best to ignore the sinking guilt in the pit of his stomach. 

Techno’s hand returned briefly to his shoulder, and he glanced up to meet his eyes.

“Stay here.” The command is cautious, barely audible as the eldest shifts and silently pulls himself out of the dried up bank. Tubbo exchanged a glance with Tommy, both of them silently counting as they watched Techno scan their surroundings from his position.

Eventually, he must have deemed that the coast was clear, because he turned, crouched down, and offered out a hand. Tommy ignored it in favor of scrambling out on his own, but Tubbo took it. 

“C’mon,” Techno said, pulling him out in one smooth motion. “We need to get back to the ravine.”

“We haven’t caught anything yet.” Tommy pointed out, frowning. He was still keeping his voice down, casting a glance into the trees every now and then. “Wilbur said -”

“Wilbur doesn’t know just how close people are to our base, or that Schlatt’s focusin’ all his attention on finding us.” Techno had already started walking, heading back the way that they had came, a path a little too close to Skeppy and Bad’s for any of them to feel comfortable. “I need to cover up our tracks and then we’re going to regroup. We need a plan.”

What they really needed, Tubbo knew, was more help. He just hoped that Wilbur would be willing to accept it. 

* * *

When they returned to the ravine, hours early and empty-handed, Tubbo watched Wilbur’s face shift from confusion to concern as he set aside the tools he had been mending and rise to meet them at the base of the steps. 

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

“We’ve got a problem.” Techno launched into a quick summary of the morning’s events, getting his brother up to speed as quickly as possible without bogging the tale down with unnecessary details; Tommy would interrupt him every now and then to add his own comments. Tubbo just sat close to the warm furnaces and listened, watching Wilbur’s face as he processed the information and its implications.

“We won’t be able to set up snares if they’re combing the woods,” Techno said. That had been one of their plans for getting more consistent food supplies; none of them knew how long the conflict would last and if they were still hiding out through the dead of winter they would need to start storing supplies now. Really, they should have begun preserving meat a week or so before, but they never had enough to be able to afford to. “Not to mention hunting gets a lot riskier. Either we wear better armor in case of a fight and scare off half the prey, or we stick to stealth and hope we don’t get caught vulnerable.”

“So we’re backed into a corner here, aren’t we?” Wilbur let out a long sigh, sinking down onto the nearest chest. “What are our options? What if we use the portal systems?”

“Maybe?” Techno shrugged. “That takes hours longer, and just about anywhere we go would be lackin’ in the food department; portals usually scare off most animals. Not to mention the fact that the Nether hub is probably still used, so it’ll be risky, too.”

Tubbo hesitated, for one long moment, as the others drifted into contemplative silence once more. He didn’t want to speak up now, not with the knowledge of how poorly the suggestion might be taken, but it was the only option he saw.

“We need to talk to Eret and Niki.” He added Niki’s name at the end, not as an afterthought, but as a way to cushion the blow of mentioning the one who had betrayed them. It didn’t do much; Tommy still scowled, and Wilbur’s eyebrows were furrowed in a familiar frown.

“Why would we ever want to talk to Eret?” Tommy asked, crossing his arms as he slumped against the ravine wall. “Niki, sure, but why Eret?”

“Look, I know you don’t like him, and I don’t blame you, but he could help us,” Tubbo said. He straightened from his spot on the floor and folded his hands in his lap as he stared up at Wilbur - the one he actually had to convince. If he convince Wilbur, then Tommy would have to side with both of them; he always did. “He _wants_ to help us, and you know as well as I do that he has plenty of supplies that he could give us.”

“But can we trust him?” Wilbur shot back, shaking his head. “Need I remind you that-”

“I know what he did, Will.” Tubbo couldn’t forget it if he tried. “But he’s on our side in this. If he wanted to turn any of us in to Schlatt surely he would’ve done it by now. He protected me, and he’s protecting Niki, too. That has to count for something.”

By the frustrated sigh that Wilbur let out, he knew that it did. Still, Tubbo watched as he looked between the three of them like he was trying to find another option, another way that didn’t involve asking for the help of someone he considered an enemy.

Then his gaze settled on Tommy, who had taken to staring at the floor in irritation, and something in his expression relented. He swore, loudly.

“Fine. _Fine_ , we’ll do it.” Wilbur ran a hand through his hair, cursing a few more times as he shut his eyes. “We’ll go talk to them tonight, okay? I don’t like it, but we don’t have very many options, anyways.”

“We can trust him, I promise. You won’t regret it.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Wilbur said, shaking his head. “I trust you, and that’s enough.”

Tubbo would be lying if he claimed that didn’t put a smile on his face.

* * *

They arrived at the clearing an hour after sunset. 

Techno had stayed behind at the ravine, half because he wanted to, half because he needed to. One of their rules - _Never leave the ravine unguarded_ \- came with a second, unspoken rule: never let the teenagers guard the ravine by themselves. The two of them could stay if both of them did, and they had before, but if they weren’t together, then one of the adults stayed, too. Tubbo figured this was probably because Wilbur and Techno were worried about what could potentially happen if the ravine was discovered (they didn’t really like to both leave, if it could be avoided), and he honestly felt the same way. While Tommy had protested the idea that he wasn’t allowed to watch their base by himself, Tubbo had never questioned it. He didn’t like to be alone very much these days, anyway.

With their rules in mind, though, Techno was the only option to stay behind this time around. Wilbur was going for obvious reasons, Tubbo was going because it was his idea and he had the best chance at keeping things civil, and if he was going, then Tommy was, too. 

Techno really didn’t mind staying, of course. He preferred it. He’d seen them off with a gruff _“Be safe”_ and a reminder to be cautious. They were wearing armor, just in case. Tommy had the most, having strapped on his full chestplate (plus the pauldrons, which were a newer addition to his armor), his bracers, and his greaves, as well as a few pieces of his leg armor. He wasn’t fully decked out, head-to-toe, but he usually wasn’t; armor was heavy, and the more you had on, the more your agility was impacted. Tubbo was fine with less armor because of this, since he relied on his size and speed more than his strength, anyway, so he only wore a chestplate.

Wilbur, on the other hand, had to be talked into wearing even leather armor. He’d always hated armor, which was fair enough even just from a comfort standpoint. Armor was not the most enjoyable thing to wear. Tubbo knew it also had to do with what armor represented to Wilbur: it was a harsh reminder of the war, of the era of fighting that they had all hated.

Techno had insisted that he have at least something standing between him an arrow to the heart, though, and so Wilbur had caved and pulled on leather chestplate.

They’d be grateful for the precaution if they got into a fight. Not that they were hoping to; in fact, Tubbo was quite certain it was a very firm goal for all of them to avoid any and all people and monsters, if possible. They were doing well at the latter, so far. Tommy had slain the few skeletons and zombies they’d come across, and they had managed to avoid any creeper encounters. Even when they stepped into their clearing, it was empty of any and all monsters.

It was empty of all people, too, which was a bit of a problem.

“Are you sure Niki would know to come?” Tubbo asked, glancing over at Wilbur. He was frowning, scanning the edge of the treeline like he was waiting for her to step out of the shadows at any given moment. “It’s been a while since we saw her.”

It had been weeks, in fact.

“Yes. She said if we ever missed a meeting, she would show up every night after sunset until we were able to come,” Wilbur said. He pushed past one of the bramble bushes and crossed over to the fallen log they often used as a makeshift bench. 

“Where is she, then?” Tommy had stayed where he was, not yet sheathing his sword. He was just far enough into the clearing for the moonlight to wash his hair silver-white, but the trees were still at his back. “I mean, it’s Niki. If she said she’ll be here, then she should be here.”

“There’s still time.” Wilbur took a seat, and motioned for the two of them to do the same. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet.”

The sunlight was gone, but it was still quite early, so Tubbo settled down in the grass and resigned himself to wait, pushing away his anxieties. He was too on edge, these days; Niki would get there eventually. 

Tommy still looked doubtful, but he picked a tree to lean against and kept alert. He mirrored Techno in his posture and the way he steadily scanned their surroundings, his gaze pausing briefly on them every other pass. 

They waited in tense quiet. Tubbo could faintly hear Wilbur humming under his breath, an old tune that he thought he recognized from before the war. He couldn’t remember the words. The minutes ticked onward, and the gray night slipped seven shades closer to black. 

“How long are we going to wait, Will?” Tommy pushed himself away from the tree, looking his brother in the eye. “There’s no reason she shouldn’t be here by now. She promised, so why isn’t she here?”

A few seconds of silence slipped past as they all tried to find an answer to that. They knew what Tommy meant. He wasn’t implying that Niki was breaking her promise, because she wouldn’t; no matter how long it took, nothing could stop Niki from showing up for them. She would wait her every night as long as it took, if that’s what she told Wilbur. That was why her absence was becoming more and more alarming; if she wasn’t here, something was stopping her from coming.

Something in the pit of Tubbo’s stomach twisted, a sense of wrongness overflowing him. This wasn’t right. None of this was right, and they were wasting precious time. 

“Something’s wrong.” The words came tumbling out quicker than he knew, and he was already making his way across the clearing by the time the other two start moving. “Something is _really wrong_.”

Tommy was already following him, which was expected, but Wilbur wasn’t far behind. They all knew that something was off; Tubbo had just been the first to give voice to their fears.

“Eret’s castle, then?” Wilbur motioned to the trees on their left. “We can just swing around that way through the treeline. We shouldn’t be seen.”

Tubbo nodded, adjusting his course, and they began to quickly make their way around the edge of the woods. He knew this land well enough to navigate it blindfolded - he knew a lot of the surrounding area better than most, in fact. While many of the others stuck close to home, he had gone miles in each direction, but the distance he’d covered didn’t interfere with his ability to memorize every meter of their land. 

He knew where the unpatched creeper holes were, and led the other two around them, he knew where the haphazard bridge over the stream was, and he helped them avoid the one grove that was always infested with spiders.

Soon enough, the dark shape of Eret’s castle was looming in the darkness ahead of them.

There was smoke, trailing up into the night sky. Eret’s flag was burning. 

“Oh, no.” Tubbo froze for a half-second. Tommy followed his gaze and swore. 

“C’mon,” Wilbur said, gently pushing both of them forward. “We should get a closer look.”

They went a little slower from there, carefully picking their way down the slope of the landscape, and as they drew nearer, the sound of voices echoing from the courtyard became clearer, too. 

“Follow me.” Tubbo climbed down to the side of the castle’s wall, where a small iron gate was half-hidden in the stone bricks. Eret had shown him how to open it when they had left, weeks ago, and so Tubbo reached up to pull out one particular brick, which slid smoothly into his hand. There was a carved hole in it hiding a key.

“Not bad,” Tommy said, looking begrudgingly impressed as Tubbo unlocked the door. It swung open with a soft creak, opening to a dimly lit stairwell. “I mean, I could do better, obviously.”

“Just go up the stairs, Tommy.” Tubbo rolled his eyes in exasperation, ignoring the twitch of his lips as he tried to suppress a smile. Despite the situation, Tommy never failed to make him laugh. He motioned the other two in as he replaced the key and the stone, and he pulled the gate shut behind them. “All the way up. This’ll put us on the walls, so stay low.”

Wilbur led the way, creeping quietly up the stone steps to try and keep the echo of his footsteps as quiet as possible. Tommy was having a little more difficulty with his armor, but then, he’d always struggled to be light on his feet to begin with. It didn’t matter too much, though. With everything going on in the castle, no one would hear them anyways.

Given their order in line, it was Wilbur who reached the door and then the wall first. He stayed low, as Tubbo had recommended, shuffling in a half-crouch to reach the edge. Tubbo came around the last bend of the steps just in time to see his face drop as he peered over the side, and the string of curses that followed, however quiet, struck a chord of fear in his chest. Tommy dropped down on knees beside Wilbur, and Tubbo was right behind him. 

The courtyard was a mess. The flower beds and trees were torn apart and scorched to ashes, and the stone path was stained black. Although it was impossible for the whole castle to burn to the ground, there was plenty in it that could be destroyed by flames, and dark plumes of smoke were still pouring steadily out of every opening. The nearest windows of the main building were all smashed, and the broken glass glinted in the torchlight. 

In the middle of the path, there were people.

On one side of the cluster, decked out in full Netherite armor, Sapnap and Antfrost stood almost shoulder to shoulder. They had their crossbows in hand, although they were holding them loosely, aimed toward the ground. To Tubbo’s surprise, Purpled was hovering just behind Sapnap. He hadn’t seen the other teen in months. He’d left shortly after the war when tensions were still fairly high, saying that he wanted a break from all of the chaos; Tubbo didn’t think he had gotten back yet, but then, he hadn’t been anywhere near Purpled’s place since leaving Manberg.

A few feet ahead of them, Karl was standing with his elbow locked around Niki’s - not quite restraining her, but definitely holding her back. She looked okay; there was a smudge of dirt and soot across her jaw and cheek, and her clothes were rumpled, but she didn’t look injured. 

Eret, on the other hand…

The traitor-turned-king was on his knees, blood soaking his shoulder and trailing down the side of his face. His head was held high despite this, looking regal even without his crown. Punz was standing nearby, his crossbow aimed at Eret’s back. In front of him, was Quackity and -

“ _Schlatt_.” Tommy gritted out the name like it was a curse, and out of the corner of Tubbo’s eye he watched his friend’s hand twitch toward his own crossbow. He reached out and caught his fingers, intertwining them with his own. They couldn’t afford to make a move just yet. 

Below them, Eret said something to Schlatt that didn’t quite reach the three of them, but Schlatt’s reply boomed across the courtyard.

“You think I’m _intimidated_ by you?” He laughed, and Tubbo couldn’t stop from shuddering at the sound. Tommy pressed into his shoulder, giving his hand a squeeze. “I didn’t come here because I felt threatened that you were sittin’ here all cozy in your castle!”

“Then why are you here, Schlatt?” Eret asked, tipping his head. His glasses were gone, Tubbo noticed, and his white eyes were glowing softly in the moonlight. Despite his cool, steady tone, there was definite anger in the slant of his expression as he stared up at the president.

“I’m here, Eret, because I’m hunting for some self-proclaimed ‘rebels’ and I need _bait_.” There was a predatory edge to his voice, and although Tubbo couldn’t see his face at this angle, he knew the horned man was grinning. 

Eret scoffed.

“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think I’d make the most effective bait, here.” 

“Oh?” Schlatt folded his arms. “And why’s that?” 

“Wilbur Soot could not care less what happens to me,” Eret said, letting out a bitter laugh. His expression dipped for a moment as he dropped his gaze to the ground. “He’s not going to risk anything for my sake, let alone his life or his brothers’ lives. Not after what I did.”

Tubbo turned to catch Wilbur’s wince at the statement. The frown stayed, even when the look in his eyes refocused into something more calculating. It wasn’t as if any of them could or would deny it. 

Schlatt was quiet for a moment, staring down at Eret with a careful tilt to his head that Tubbo really didn’t like.

“Well,” Schlatt began, letting his hands drop to his side as he scanned the others’ faces. “In that case, I guess you’re useless to me, then. Hey, Punz?”

The blond glanced up at the call of his name, lifting the crossbow in his hands. 

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you put that crossbow to some use?” Schlatt’s words made Tubbo’s heart plummet, and he blindly dug in the satchel at his hip, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene below him as Punz hesitantly shifted to aim his weapon at Eret’s chest. 

“ _No_!” Niki threw herself forward, and the only thing that stopped her from flying at Schlatt was Karl’s grip on her arm. His face was paler than usual, but still he kept a steady hold on her. “You can’t do this! Karl, please, _let me go_!”

Schlatt laughed, even as Karl - who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else - spilled out a string of apologies, and motioned to Antfrost and Sapnap.

“Would one of you gentlemen mind restraining her?” As Antfrost moved forward to grab her other arm, Schlatt glanced over to look at Niki, and Tubbo could make out his grin. “I still have plenty of use for you, Nihachu, so don’t you fret. I still need some way to lure Wilbur out of hidin’, after all, and I have a cozy little cell with your name on it.”

Tubbo’s heart rate skyrocketed at the implications of that statement - he knew just what cell Schlatt was referring to, and Niki was the last person in the world he would ever want to be locked inside of it. His hand tightened around Tommy’s instinctively, trying to hold onto the anchor his friend provided as a wave of panic washed over him. His grip was tighter than he meant it to be, he distantly noted, as he felt his friend wince in response, even as the other’s fingers gave a steady squeeze in return.

Tubbo took a deep breath, and refocused on the scene before them as Quackity stepped forward hesitantly.

“Wait, Schlatt, you’re not serious, are you?” It was easy to forget that Quackity really wasn’t that much older than either of them; even if he was an adult, he was still a teenager, too, technically. Nineteen wasn’t far from sixteen, and his youth shone through in the way he held himself, quiet and nervous - a far cry from the outgoing, confident individual that Tubbo had come to know him to be. “I mean, taking prisoners, or hostages, or whatever is one thing, but-”

“Are you _questioning_ me?” Schlatt rounded on Quackity, thunder in his voice and lightning in his eyes, and Tubbo flinched back in time with the older boy at his harsh tone. 

“I just - you can’t -” He didn’t get to finish, because Schlatt closed the final step between them and lashed out, a loud _smack_ ringing through the air as the back of his hand connected with Quackity’s cheek. A second later, he was on the ground, clutching the side of his face.

“Your job is to listen to my orders, not ask questions,” Schlatt said coolly, staring down at his ally without an ounce of mercy in his expression. “Keep that in mind.”

Tubbo was so focused on this exchange that he almost missed Eret’s movement completely. Schlatt had made a crucial mistake in turning on Quackity, in that doing so meant turning his back to his enemy. On Eret, who had been through a war, who knew how to fight just as much as the rest of them, who was not someone to lay down and die without doing everything in his power to survive. 

Despite his injuries, he moved faster than any of them could catch, and all of a sudden he was colliding with Schlatt from behind, sending both of them tumbling across the ground. Eret came out on top, still grappling for control as he slammed a fist into the president’s face. Punz fired off a shot from his crossbow, but it was wide, skimming just over Eret’s shoulder. Niki was still fighting against Karl and Antfrost, hurling a steady stream of German at them that Tubbo was pretty sure was all profanity.

He took his eyes off the fight for two seconds to reach into his satchel once more, scrambling for a plan - because no matter who won the tussle, their two allies were still extremely outnumbered - and a heartbeat later Eret was crying out in pain. 

Tubbo looked up in time to see Schlatt throw his heel into Eret’s side, and the way the man crumpled at the impact was tell-tale of at least one damaged rib. It gave Schlatt an opening to throw Eret off of him and stumble to his feet. He didn’t hesitate for a moment before continuing his attack, delivering at least four or five more kicks to Eret’s side, punctuating each with a curse. Finally, when the king had given up on trying to push himself back to his feet in favor of tucking his uninjured arm around his ribs and bracing himself for the next blow, Schlatt stopped, stepping back to catch his breath.

“Thanks for the assistance.” His voice was dripping with venomous sarcasm as he glared around at those who were supposed to be on his side. He dug his heel into Eret’s side once more, ignoring Niki’s scream for him to stop. “I have to do everything myself, don’t I?”

With that, he pulled the axe off of his back, and held it out in front of him, pressing the blade lightly against Eret’s throat.

They were very much out of time, Tubbo realized, and he had absolutely no plan. 

“We have to stop them.” Both Wilbur and Tommy’s attention snapped toward him, and he gave them a pleading look. “Please, Eret can’t - we can’t let Schlatt kill him.”

Tubbo watched Tommy’s gaze flick between the scene beneath them, his face, and finally, the glossy orb in his free hand. Almost instantly, his friend was untangling their fingers and reaching for his own ender pearl pouch, fierce determination burning in his own gaze.

“I’ll follow your lead, Tubbo.” Another promise, and one that Tubbo knew he’d keep. He glanced up to Wilbur, who hesitated, before nodding. 

That was all Tubbo needed. He turned, pulling back his arm, and took a half-second to aim as Schlatt raised his axe above his head. Then he threw the pearl with all his strength, drew his sword, and prayed his aim was true.

Landing from an ender pearl was always disorientating. The world took a second to sort itself out while your body tried to recover from the force of teleportation. Tubbo didn’t have time to adjust; he shook off the dizziness as he moved, raising his sword over his head in a blocking maneuver that he had practiced a thousand times, relying on muscle memory to save him. A heavy clash of metal against metal was the first thing he refocused on, and he blinked to find Schlatt staring at him in shock beneath their interlocked weapons. 

The courtyard burst into chaos - half of the people there yelled his name, all at once, and the confusion only doubled as Tommy landed his pearl, too, a foot from Punz and already aiming his own crossbow at the man’s chest, locking them in a stalemate.

Schlatt’s voice, unsurprisingly, was the first to break through the noise.

“Well, this is definitely a surprise, Tubbo.” He twisted his hands, and his axe slid free, forcing Tubbo back a step, where he took up a defensive stance. “Finally find your way out of whatever hole you’ve been hiding in?”

“Shut up, Schlatt,” Tubbo said. His hands wouldn’t stop trembling, and he had to fight to keep his breathing steady as he held his ground. Eret was picking himself up off the ground behind him, but he didn’t dare look away to help him.

“Or what?” Schlatt asked, tipping his head with an amused smirk. Quackity had gotten to his feet, too, but he kept his distance, nursing his new bruise. “What’ll you do, Tubbo?”

“Leave him alone, you son of a-” Tommy looked torn as he glared across the gap between them, unable to step away since the moment he did Punz was free to attack them. He was all but radiating frustration, despite this; Tubbo could see it in the tension of his shoulders and jaw. 

“I-” Tubbo cut himself off with another shaky breath, slipping a little further into his fighting stance. He wasn’t sure what he’d do - could he beat Schlatt in a fight? He used to think so, before, but now he wasn’t so sure.

“Tell you what, kid, I’ll make you a deal.” Schlatt’s words were accompanied by a step toward him, and Tubbo’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re outnumbered. Surrender now, and I’ll pretend you weren’t here - I’ll even let Eret go, if you want! Of course, Tommy will be spending a night in a cell with Niki, and Wilbur can come negotiate for their freedom tomorrow. On the other hand…”

Another step. This time, Tubbo couldn’t help but flinch, and he hated the glint of amusement that flashed through Schlatt’s eyes at his reaction. This was all a game to the man, and he hated being a pawn in it. 

“If you make things difficult, I won’t be so nice about it when you lose. Eret _will_ die, people _will_ get hurt, and _you_ will spend the rest of yourlife in that cell and I will personally make sure that is _long_.” Schlatt almost closed the gap between them completely as he spat out the last word, and Tubbo stumbled back to get some space. Eret caught him by the shoulder, and tried to put himself between the two. Tubbo pushed back, though, trying to keep his head clear; he was the one with a sword and he was _stronger_ than this, stronger than the tidal wave of fear crashing over him, threatening to drown him. Tommy was yelling again, and he focused on his voice, using it to ground himself.

“Just kill me, Schlatt,” Eret said. There was a chilling edge to his voice that Tubbo had not heard in a long time - not since the war, not since a dark room, not since _‘It was never meant to be’._ Eret had moved in front of him, holding out an arm to keep Schlatt at bay; his other was clutched around his damaged ribs. “Leave both of them out of this.”

“Eret, _no_.” Tubbo grabbed the back of his sleeve, trying to pull him back again. “You can’t.”

“It’s okay, Tubbo.” Eret looked back at him with a soft, fond smile - one that he hadn’t seen in a long time. He was used to seeing it often, once, back when he and Eret would spend long hours together gathering resources to share with the others, during the revolution. Tubbo missed it. He missed him, too. Eret reached up to grab his hand and give it a soft squeeze. “Just get Tommy and get out of here, okay? My life’s not worth it.”

“I don’t know, I think it’s definitely worth _something._ ” Wilbur had arrived. He was standing where his pearl had landed, just a foot behind Schlatt. His sword was in his hand, already pressed against the horned man’s throat, and there was a sharpness to his smile that told Tubbo he was angry despite his light tone. “More than this one’s, at least. I heard you were looking for me, Schlatt.”

“Hey there, Soot. Long time, no see,” Schlatt said, not missing a beat. He had frozen, which was wise, considering the blade pressed against his skin, and the shift of his focus to Wilbur took a weight off of Tubbo’s chest. “How’s exile treatin’ you?”

“I’m not here for small talk.” Wilbur shifted, and Schlatt winced as the edge of the sword cut a little deeper, this time drawing a couple drops of blood. “Though, I suppose it’s a lot harder to negotiate your way out of your messes when you have no chips to bargain with. You should have picked a different day to take hostages.”

“Technically speaking, I still have one, so we’re in a bit of a stalemate.” Schlatt barked out a laugh, like his life was not on the line, and Tubbo followed his gaze to Niki. Antfrost and Karl were still restraining her, but neither looked particularly eager to start threatening her for their dictator’s release, so Tubbo wasn’t sure how much weight her position held.

Wilbur clearly observed this, too, because he just smiled, shaking his head.

“Not at all, actually. See, the problem with manipulating and threatening your way into power, Schlatt, is that it’s not a very good way to make friends.” He motioned with his free hand to the rest of them, and Schlatt’s eyes followed the arc of his hand. “No one here actually cares about you; in fact, I’m sure most of them would be thrilled to kill you themselves. The only reason they’ll obey your orders or fight to protect you is because you have _leverage_.”

“So, what are you going to do, Soot?” Schlatt asked. There was an edge to his voice, the same heavy frustration that Tubbo was more familiar with than he’d like to be. “You gonna kill me?”

Wilbur didn’t even bother giving him a response. Instead, he looked to the group gathered around Niki.

“Let her go.” His voice was steady, the words coming out as a calm request rather than a demand. Antfrost hesitated, glancing not to Schlatt but to Sapnap, who gave him a nod. Instantly, the hybrid released her arm with a soft apology, and Karl was eager to follow suit. Niki reached out and caught his hand.

“It’s all right.” She gave him a small smile, ever kind and forgiving. “You didn’t have a choice.”

She released Karl’s hand as Wilbur cleared his throat and quickly made her way over to them, catching Tubbo and Eret both in a tight hug. Tubbo tucked his face into her shoulder, ignoring the heavy smell of smoke clinging to her shirt, and tried to settle his racing heart. It had been so close, _too_ close, and he couldn’t stand the thought of what might have happened if they hadn’t interfered, or if he had been a little slower, or-

“Tommy, come over here.” Wilbur’s voice drew him back to the present, and he looked past Niki to see his friend still pointing his crossbow in Punz’ direction. The older blond still hadn’t fully backed down, although his own weapon was pointed firmly at the ground. 

Tommy obeyed, albeit slowly, not taking his eyes off Punz as he carefully backed up toward them. Niki pulled away from her embrace to fuss over Eret’s wounds, leaving Tubbo to shift toward the other teenager as he got closer. 

“What now?” Tommy asked as he came to a halt beside them. 

“We’re leaving. Give Niki and Eret pearls,” Wilbur instructed. Tubbo quickly opened his pouch to remove three; one for himself and two to give the others. Tommy had also dropped one hand from his crossbow to grab a pearl for himself. “Go straight over the wall and back the way we came. You first, Tubbo.”

It was a blatant move to get him away from Schlatt, and Tubbo was still too rattled to be anything but grateful for Wilbur’s protective streak. He took a deep breath to get his hands to stop shaking, took careful aim, and lobbed his pearl over the wall. The world twisted around him, static filling his hears for a half-second as he felt the familiar lurch rock through his core, and then he was regaining his balance at the edge of the woods just outside the castle.

Niki appeared a moment later, stumbling a few feet away. She leaned against the nearest tree, pushing her hair out of her face as she turned to watch the wall, and Tubbo glanced back in time to see a third orb sailing in their direction. Eret’s injuries made it a little harder for him to keep his balance through the warp, and he nearly went tumbling to the ground as soon he landed; Niki rushed forward to catch him, tucking into his side and wrapping his good arm over her shoulders.

Tubbo counted the seconds - seven in all - before Tommy appeared, too. The blond shot a wary glance at the walls before running to him.

“Are you all right?” He pulled Tubbo into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of his head. “What Schlatt said-”

“I’m okay,” Tubbo said. He wished his words sounded a little more convicting than they had in his own head. He couldn’t deny that Schlatt’s words had gotten to him, and while he didn’t want to talk about it, he appreciated the concern. Despite his attempt at reassurance, Tommy pulled him in a little closer. 

“He’s not touching you ever, okay? I promise I won’t let him.”

Another new promise. This time, Tubbo didn’t know if it could be kept so easily. So much was shifting all the time, the many layers of this conflict changing almost daily, and it was hard to keep ahead of it all. Schlatt was good at pulling the strings in this game, whatever it was that they were playing, and with their disadvantage it was likely a matter of time before their luck ran short. He didn’t say this, though. Tommy was all fight and fire; he would die before he admitted that he couldn’t keep his family safe. For now, they were okay, and so Tubbo buried his doubts along with his fears and let the racing of his heart settle. 

Wilbur arrived then. There was a fierce frown on his face, and Tubbo could tell something had happened in the few seconds that he’d been gone that had angered him further. 

“We need to get moving,” Wilbur said. He glanced their way, gaze softening ever-so-slightly for but a moment, before looking to Niki and Eret. “Can you run? I can pretty much guarantee that Schlatt’s going to send them after us.”

"It might be more of a jog than anything, but I’ll manage.” Eret straightened as best as he could, adjusting his grip on Niki, who seemed adamant on remaining at his side. “And thank you, Wilbur.”

Wilbur just nodded, his mouth pressed into a thin line, and turned on his heel as he motioned for them to follow. Still, it was clear he had taken Eret’s response into account; although he set off at a quick pace, he didn’t push them faster than a light jog, which was much more manageable than the sprint he had likely planned on maintaining. Niki and Eret fell into pace a second later.

Tommy was the first to move between the two of them. He had grabbed Tubbo’s hand as soon as he’d slung the crossbow across his back, pulling him forward, and he didn’t seem inclined to let go anytime soon. They stayed anchored together at the back of the group. Tubbo was fine with this, since it let him keep an eye on how Niki and Eret were managing with the latter’s injuries; so far, they were doing fine, but he doubted they would be able to jog the entire way back to the ravine. It was quite a trek, after all. 

The terrain wasn’t making it any easier, either. The sun was long gone, and as soon as they left the lit area surrounding the castle it became difficult to see very far ahead of them. The moon was fairly full, but the thick canopy and clouds dotting the sky meant that very few rays of moonlight actually filtered its way down to them. Between the low light and the thick layer of brambles and bushes that covered most of the forest floor, it was easy to trip or get caught up in the plants. Tubbo found himself stumbling every fifty meters or so, and he and Tommy were doing their best to keep each other on their feet. Niki almost fell completely at one point, and Wilbur had paused along with the rest of them at her gasp. He was quick to turn back and help her back up.

They weren’t heading in a straight path back to the ravine, and they weren’t following their trail from before, either. Wilbur had led them wide, swinging deeper into the woods and further away from the well-traversed part of the area. While this made their journey more difficult, given the unfamiliarity and the thickness of the forest, it would cover their trail better in the long run, and Tubbo guessed that the hope was that it would help them lose their pursuers completely.

Unfortunately, Antfrost and Sapnap were both very skilled trackers, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up. They had just climbed across a narrow gully and had paused to catch their breaths when Tubbo first heard the familiar voice calling through the trees.

“Tubbo? Tommy?” The call came from behind them, and in the distance Tubbo could spot the slight flicker of torchlight shining through the trees. 

While the others all started moving again, Tubbo paused, and Tommy jerked to a stop once more a second later. 

“What are you doing?” Wilbur was looking back at them with a desperate sort of urgency, trying to motion them to get moving. “They’re with Schlatt, remember? We need to go. _Now_.”

Tubbo glanced up at Tommy, biting his lip as he heard Purpled yell his name once more. 

“Please, we just want to talk, I promise! Schlatt’s not with us!”

Tommy was watching him carefully, waiting for him to make a decision. There was that same paranoia in the nervous twitch of his fingers that was seeping through every movement Wilbur made, but his eyes were full of trust. 

Maybe Tubbo wouldn’t have hesitated to keep running after Wilbur if it were anyone else, but this was _Purpled_. They may not have always agreed - the war and revolution was proof of that - but they had never gone against each other, either. The older boy might not have been as close to either of them as Tubbo and Tommy had always been, but he was definitely still a friend - family, even. He would never hurt them.

“Tubbo, please, we can’t trust them right now,” Wilbur said. He started to walk back toward them, looking past them to watch the warm glow of the torch grow closer.

“We can, I promise.” Tubbo did not wait for permission. He hoped that Wilbur trusted him; if not, he hoped that he would forgive him. “Purpled! Over here!”

Eret and Niki shuffled their way over, and Tommy adjusted his position at Tubbo’s shoulder. Wilbur was quiet, and he hoped that was a good sign.

It did not take long for Purpled and the others to make their way over once they had a firm direction. Within seconds, the other teen was breaking through the treeline, looking hopeful despite the worried furrow to his brow. As soon as he looked up and spotted them, he grinned. The bushes rustled behind him, and a moment later Sapnap and Antfrost emerged, the former holding the torch in one hand. 

Wilbur tensed at their appearance, but he didn’t look as angry or defensive as Tubbo feared he might, so he figured that it was all right for now.

“We’re not lookin’ for a fight, I promise.” Sapnap held up his other hand, keeping it away from his sword. Antfrost, too, was unarmed. “As far as Schlatt will know, we lost you a long time ago.”

Purpled seemed to take this as his cue to proceed, because he immediately darted down into the gully, and Tubbo slid down to meet him halfway, where they crashed into a messy hug. 

“This has been like the craziest day of my life,” Purpled said, pulling back with a nervous laugh. “I get back and everything’s just a disaster. Are you guys okay?”

This question was directed at Tommy, too, who had come down to join them. 

“We’re good.” Tommy was trying to act like he wasn’t just as happy to see the other boy as Tubbo was, but he wasn’t fooling either of them. Purpled reached up to ruffle his hair, earning himself a half-hearted grumble.

“I’m so sorry about all of that, Eret,” Antfrost said, drawing Tubbo’s attention back the adults. The hybrid’s ears were flattened against his dark hair, and it was easy to tell how upset he was about the whole situation. To Tubbo’s knowledge, Antfrost had never been someone who was eager to fight; he was good at it, of course, as they all had to be to survive, but he preferred peaceful resolutions and avoided hurting others when possible. 

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Eret shook his head. “Schlatt’s the only one to blame.”

“Thank you, by the way, for not, y’know, killing him.” Sapnap scowled. The knuckles on the hand he was holding the torch with had turned white. “For George’s sake.”

“Of course.” Wilbur sounded tired, more than anything, and Tubbo glanced up to see the hostility had faded from his face. “Have you found any leads at all?”

“No.” Sapnap shook his head. The mask of guarded indifference that he had worn in the courtyard with Schlatt was gone, and now he was starting to look his age. Less like a hardened warrior, and more like a young man who was doing everything in his power to keep his friends safe. Tubbo could understand that better than most. “We were about to head out again, actually, when Schlatt dragged us into that whole mess.” 

“Yeah, he’s kind of a psychopath.” Purpled added. Sapnap snorted, a fond half-smile tugging at his mouth. 

“I’ll say. It was lucky you guys showed up.”

“Why were you there, anyways?” Eret asked, looking over to Wilbur. “You stopped meeting with Niki like two weeks ago; what changed?”

Wilbur hesitated, sending a wary glance in Sapnap and Antfrost’s direction, before sighing.

“Our supplies aren’t the best right now as far as food goes.” He admitted. “We have enough potatoes to feed an army thanks to Techno, but we can’t live off of them alone, especially-”

He didn’t finish, but Tubbo caught the way his gaze slid across his and Tommy’s faces and knew exactly what he meant. The others understood, too; Antfrost’s frown twisted deeper, Niki’s worry was visible on her face, and Tommy looked two seconds from protesting that they were fine. Tubbo grabbed his friend’s hand once more, giving it a squeeze to settle his indignation.

The pause of quiet went uninterrupted for a long moment, and then Sapnap shifted closer to the edge of the gully.

“Here, take this.” He pulled his satchel off his shoulder and tossed it across the gap to Wilbur’s waiting hands. Antfrost’s eyes lit up with understanding, and he quickly pulled his own bag off his back and threw it over, too. “We packed for over a week; there should be enough in there to keep you going for a few days. There’s some spare potions, too.”

Wilbur opened the bag to check inside of it, and his expression softened with relief at the sight.

“Do you know where Sam’s base is?” Sapnap asked, before anyone else could chime in.

“I do.” Tubbo had visited a few times; he really liked Sam. There weren’t many people in their community who worked much with redstone, so they had bonded over that pretty quickly. He knew the path well enough to get them there through the Nether, if needed.

“Visit him if you’re ever out of supplies. He’s got more than enough to share, and he’ll be happy to help,” Sapnap said. He motioned for Purpled to come up and join him and Antfrost, and the teen flashed them one more smile before obeying. “We should let you get moving; mobs are spawning by the minute.”

“Thank you.” Wilbur slung both satchels over his shoulders, and Tubbo takes that as his signal to start climbing back up their side with Tommy. “Good luck in your search.”

Sapnap nodded. He stood there, torch in hand, as Wilbur turned and led them into the woods once more, and the rest of them followed. Eventually, the trees blocked him and the other two from view, and the soft glow of the torchlight was lost not long afterward.

The rest of the journey they took at a slower, more careful pace. They were all exhausted, and Eret’s injuries were starting to affect him more and more as time passed. No longer fearing pursuers, they were able to cut down on a lot of time by heading straight to the ravine, and so despite how slowly they were moving it wasn’t terribly long before the woods started to look more and more familiar. 

Tubbo was stumbling a little more by then, the adrenaline that had been fueling him finally crashing, and he found himself drifting closer and closer to Tommy. The blond was quiet, which was a dead giveaway of how tired he was, too. They all were. Wilbur seemed the only one still relatively alert, mostly because he had to be. His quiet callouts kept them from stumbling into zombies or creepers more than a few times, and Tommy was always quick to help him cut them down. Tubbo helped too, of course, but his friend’s eagerness to fight something after the day’s events meant that he often reached them first.

It was a relief to all of them when they finally reached the ridge their hideout was built into. The second that Wilbur stepped into the break in the trees, though, he froze. Tubbo had to step around Niki and Eret to find out why.

Techno was standing outside the entrance, his back facing them as he worked on saddling his horse. Despite not being able to see his face, Tubbo could pick out his sharp concern in the tension of his shoulders and back, even beneath his full Netherite armor. 

The thing that had caused Wilbur to pause, though, was not his brother. Instead, it was the figure standing next to Techno - a man dressed in dark green, blond hair mostly hidden by a matching bucket hat. Most striking, though, was the pair of large, dark wings on his back. 

“Philza?” Wilbur’s voice was soft, almost too quiet to catch, but Tubbo saw the twitch of Techno’s pointed ears before the hybrid spun around to catch side of them. By then, though, Tommy had stepped forward, too.

“Phil?” The other man had already turned toward them at Techno’s movement, and so Tubbo saw the moment he recognized his other two kids had arrived. 

“Hey, boys.” His smile shone in his eyes, too, the deep blue almost glowing with warmth and mirth at the surprise on everyone’s faces. “I heard you could use some assistance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Philza has arrived!
> 
> I was super eager to get to his inclusion in the story, since his dynamic with the others is 10/10. Next chapter will pick up right off the end of this one, so don't worry - you'll get to see the SBI reunion. 
> 
> A few things that I thought I'd note:
> 
> \- As you've probably noticed by now, the family dynamic and relations between the characters is a little different in this than in main cannon, since I started this before any of that had really been brought up at all on the SMP. 
> 
> \- Most of the SMP members with non-human skins are hybrids - humans with animal/mob traits. Some of them are less obvious than others, but you can probably assume most of them.
> 
> \- I originally didn't have Purpled involved in this at all, but then he snuck his way in there because he's fantastic and deserves more recognition from the SMP fandom. He doesn't play a huge part in this, but the companion piece that I have planned might see a little more of him. ;)
> 
> \- There's only one chapter left! I haven't decided if I'll be writing an epilogue or not, but the plot will definitely be wrapped up by the end of the next chapter, so keep an eye out! I don't have a specific timeline, but hopefully it will take less time than this one did. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading, and Merry Christmas, everyone!


End file.
